A New Home
by Cariane
Summary: Jamie arrives at the Institute and befriends Kess and John and finds love in Peter.  She learns about herself and her powers as she kicks ass all the way through.
1. A New Beginning

**A New Home **

**Chapter 1: Finding Home**

The flight had been long and boring but Jamie finally arrived at her destination. She had heard all kinds of stories about New York and even though she was going to a place outside the city she couldn't wait to see the sights. Once she got off the plane she walked out into the bright sunlight where she decided she was lucky to only have one carry-on bag. The other travelers from her flight were now dragging themselves to the baggage claim and looking very tired. A car pulled up in front of her and the driver rolled down the passenger window.

"Xavier Institute?" he asked. Jamie's eyes lit up and she nodded. "It's Jamie right? I'm Steven, by the way," he said as she got in the back seat, "I live at the Institute too, you'll like it there; I'm sure. So where you from?"

"Canada," Jamie replied, "You?"

"Oh my family's from South Carolina. I miss it a lot, especially the warmer weather. But I'm sure the winters here won't be too bad for you, being from Canada."

Jamie laughed, "No I think I'll be able to survive." She looked at Steven in the rear-view mirror. He had dark blue eyes and hair as yellow as fresh corn, his boyish looks were emphasized by his strong country accent and Jamie realized she'd be meeting people from backgrounds quite different from her own.

As the city turned into residential homes and then the homes into acres of land with large houses few and far between Jamie's jetlag began to set in. She felt like dozing off when Steven turned the car into the long driveway of an enormous mansion with acres of land surrounding it. "You can get out here," Steven said as he pulled around a large fountain and stopped at the front door, "I have to take the car back to the garage." Jamie grabbed her knapsack, an old green one that had belonged to an American soldier long before Jamie had bought it in a second-hand shop, and hopped out of the car. Waiting for her at the top of the stairs was a bald man in a wheelchair.

"Welcome Jamie, I'm Professor Charles Xavier, I trust you had a good flight?"

"Yes, a long one though," Jamie replied and met him at the top of the stairs, "This is a mighty big house you have."

"Mighty big indeed," Charles laughed, "But it's hardly empty. Why don't I show you to your room and once you get settled in I'll introduce you to some of the other students."

Her first impression of the mansion had been incredible. It was a huge, stone building with large windows and balconies littered all over the outside. The fall leaves had gathered on the driveway and spattered the landscape. When the car had driven through them the exhaust blew up the leaves like tiny birds. Jamie had been able to see acres of grass and trees to the left of the mansion and a basketball court and other extracurricular areas to the right. The sight of the basketball court made her heart flutter. All in all it looked like a picture out of a fancy living magazine. However, the inside of the mansion had put the outside to shame. As soon as she walked through the door the scent of rich, dark wood had filled her nostrils. All the furniture was made of dark maple and the red, deep upholstery made her want to dive into the chairs and fall asleep. The hallway ahead of her had been filled with the busts of famous scientists and literary icons. She had felt like she was in a regal high society home until she left the artworks hanging on the walls for a stainless steel elevator. It was quite a difference and even Jamie had been taken by surprise. The professor noticed and said, "You'll find that living here will be like living in two different worlds at first, but in a few weeks everything will mold together and you'll be right at home."

They arrived at Jamie's room on the second floor and Charles gave her a key. "There's a bathroom connected right through the door on the left and it actually leads to another student's room; who I'll introduce you to later. I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes, but I'm needed downstairs at the moment." Jamie watched Charles wheel out of the room in back to the elevator. She knew it would be a culture shock, moving to this new Institute for mutants but she hadn't known how severe. She'd been speechless since she walked through the door.

Jamie looked around her room admiring it. Everything was the same dark wood from the front hall and all the fabric was of varying shades of dark green. Her bed was on the right wall of the room and it had a soft, down comforter and pillows of a deep emerald that would keep her warm on the coldest New York night. There was a desk and chair against the wall across from her and a large window above the desk and just a little farther along the wall was another large window that was actually a set of French doors that led out to one of the balconies she had seen when she had arrived outside. Dark, forest green drapes hung over the windows to keep out the early morning sun. On the left wall was the bathroom door and on one side of it stood an armoire and on the other a vanity with an antique mirror and a book shelf next to that. Jamie tossed her bag on the bed and unpacked the few shirts she had brought with her and other minor things. She put her clothes away in the armoire and noticed a full length mirror hiding next to it. She pulled the mirror into the light more and studied herself. She was very tall for her age, 6 feet in fact, and built well. Her 'well-endowed' figure made her seem Amazonian and imposing but there was femininity behind her looks that gave her an extra edge. She was wearing a top that exposed a small bit of her midriff over a pair of worn Wrangler jeans. Jamie smiled to herself, thinking about all the fun she had had in those jeans. The top was black and had three straps, two that fell over her shoulders and the last crisscrossed on her back. A thick belt with an oval buckle held her jeans to her curves. Overall it was a cute but don't-push-me look that pleased Jamie and fit her perfectly.

Jamie wanted to investigate her new home more but she felt a little grubby from the plane ride and went into the bathroom to freshen up. She saw the door that led to her suitemate's room and considered going in to say hello but she heard a soft girl's voice singing and the sound of an electric guitar and decided not to bother just yet while she was making music. She splashed a little water on her face and dried it. She grinned to inspect her teeth, they were white and healthy looking and she decided she didn't need to brush them again. She moved some of her hair out of her face. It was dirty blonde with red and brownish highlights and fairly short. Pieces always hung in her eyes and it tended to look playfully messy. Jamie let herself admire her eyes, she was always proud of how unique they looked. Dark pupils contrasted with the irises that swirled yellow and red at the edges. The Professor knocked on her door and Jamie hurried to answer it.

Charles rolled in and was followed by two men and two women. "Hello Jamie, I have some people I'd like you to meet, you'll be seeing quite a bit of them as they are some of the instructors here. First, this is Jean Gray."

"It's really great to meet you Jamie," said the first women with long red hair that was neatly styled in a ponytail and a bright smile.

"The pleasure is all mine," Jamie replied and shook her hand.

"This is Scott Summers, though you might hear him referred to as Cyclops occasionally."

"Hey Jamie," said the tallest of the five people. He had short brown hair and rose colored sunglasses; Jamie assumed they had something to do with his mutation. "I hope you consider taking my Auto Mechanics class."

"No soliciting Scott," the tall African-American woman scolded playfully, "You can't steal students like that." Jamie was instantly in awe of her, she had beautiful long white hair, intelligent eyes and a strong face. "I'm Ororo Munroe, or sometimes Storm," she introduced herself, "I teach the History classes here, Jamie. I'm really happy to have you become a part of our very large family."

"Thank you for making me a part of it," Jamie said with genuine gratefulness, "This place is a dream come true."

"And this," Charles said, "Is Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler." Kurt was quite a spectacle. He didn't stand very tall and his skin was dark blue and covered in fur of the same hue. He had a prehensile tail, fangs and yellow eyes; he resembled a demon from a horror movie.

To Kurt's surprise Jamie didn't seem affected by his ghastly appearance. "Ah, hello there Jamie," he said haltingly, "I don't mean to be rude but most people are…confused by my appearance."

Jamie smiled, "Well, I'm not really most people and believe it or not I've seen weirder things. Besides, the first car I ever drove, and old Camaro, was blue, almost the same color as you," she finished with a laugh that made Kurt feel at ease.

At that moment someone else entered the room from the bathroom door. "Hey, I thought I heard voices in here."

The girl that had just come in walked over to Jamie's right, "Are you living in this room?" she asked.

"Yes, this is Jamie," Ororo said, "Jamie, meet Kesskallome, your suitemate."

"Suitemate?" Kess asked, "Fantastic, this is a guy's hall but now I have an ally."

"It's really nice to meet you Kesskallome," Jamie said and shook her hand. She took a moment to observe Kess. She was quite a bit shorter than Jamie, maybe 5'4", with long black hair and dark skin. She had great curves for her small frame and a fierce look.

"Kurt and I just located Jamie in Canada," Ororo said, "She just got here today."

"Oh Canada, nice, it's pretty cold there right?" Kess asked with a slight accent.

"Yeah," Jamie replied, "But it's nice to be away from the Mounties."

"I think Jamie would probably appreciate a tour of the Institute Ororo," Charles said, "If you all would do that I need to finish up some paperwork."

"Of course Charles," Ororo replied, "We'll start in the academic section." Jamie followed Ororo and the others out of her room and all through the mansion.

"It looks like it's easy to get lost but you'll get used to all the halls quick," Kess said as they walked, "It only took me a week to get acquainted with the place. Oh, by the way, you can call me Kess. Nobody uses my full name. But on the battlefield I'm Medusa," she winked.

"Medusa?" Jamie asked, "Any special reason?"

"It's sort of hard to explain, you'll have to see it for yourself." As Kess finished speaking her name was called over a loudspeaker with a few others and she had to excuse herself. "Guess I'm needed somewhere," she said, "I'll be back soon though, I want to hear all about you."

Jamie watched Kess leave and concentrated on remembering where all the classrooms and rec rooms were on her tour.

They took another high-tech elevator down to a floor that was below the regular building and entered a room labeled 'Training Room' where Jamie was immediately impressed. It was a large room with all kind of machines and equipment that the students used to control and exercise their powers. Jamie walked into the center of the room by herself and looked around. Suddenly she felt a presence behind her and turned around just in time to see a pair of long silver claws coming at her. She quickly dove to the side to avoid them. She could see her attacker now, he was much shorter than she was and had dark brown hair, three long claws that stuck out from his knuckles and a look on his face of revenge. She had only a moment until the unexpected happened. Her opponent's claws plunged into her stomach. She pushed herself off his claws and looked down at her stomach. Three small red dots were clearly visible. A bead of sweat ran down her temple and for a moment her face was contorted and then she smiled and looked up. The red dots disappeared and the skin on her stomach was flawless. Her attacker looked confused but charged again, Jamie faded away easily, though now he had her pinned in a corner. He raised his arm and brought it down to slash her face when the crisp clang of metal hitting metal echoed through the huge room. Jamie had met his claws with an identical pair just an inch from her head, saving her life.

"Wolverine, no!" Scott shouted, he'd only been able to watch in horror because the ordeal took only a few seconds. Wolverine, the attacker, backed off in shear surprise though Jamie stayed ready in case of another advance. Being the smart fighter she was, she wisely moved out of the confining corner and into the middle of the room as Wolverine watched her.

There was an awkward silence as Ororo walked to Jamie, "Are you alright?" she asked and inspected the rips in her shirt from the claws. Jamie nodded and Ororo decided she was fine, "Well Logan, I believe you may have met your match."

"Why did you attack?" Jean asked Logan who Jamie now identified as both the Logan and Wolverine mentioned.

Logan paused and let his claws slide back into his hands, "Bad feeling," he grunted plainly, keeping his eyes on Jamie while her claws were still out.

The Professor rolled into the Training Room with Kess and another girl with straight dark hair, though there was a long white streak in it. "What's going on here," he asked as Kess went over to look at Jamie's shirt with Ororo.

"Logan and Jamie met," Kurt said, "I think they both made quite a first impression."

Jamie's claws slid back into her hands and the Professor frowned, "I trust no one was hurt."

"There's certainly no evidence of it," Ororo said, "I believe we have two mutants with very similar powers."

"Interesting," Charles replied, "Well I'm glad that no one was hurt."

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Kurt asked Jamie. It wasn't often he saw a new student with reactions like that. Kess and Ali Blaire were probably the only two others.

"Well, in Canada I didn't really live in one place for too long. I traveled around doing different odd jobs and when I needed money I'd fight in these cage fights, that really trained my reflexes," Jamie explained.

"So it's safe to say you've lost a few fights," Scott said as the group began to reconvene.

Jamie cocked her head, "No I've never lost a fight. What would make you think that?"

"Sounds like someone has some good stories," said the dark-haired girl, "I'm Rogue," she reached out a hand to Jamie who shook it. "Sorry I can't stay, I have to go finish some homework. I'll see you later, Kess. Bye Jamie."

Rogue took off and Kess waved. "So what about finishing that tour?" Kess asked.

Everyone but Logan and Charles finished showing Jamie around. "So what's the real reason?" Charles asked Logan as they walked towards his office.

Logan shook his head, "Just a bad feeling," he said, "Can't explain it."

Charles sighed, "Well, I've never known you to attack someone as young as Jamie."

Logan shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you Chuck, she felt like anything but a student when she walked in."

"Ah well, I know you Logan, you're not going to explain anything you don't want to," Charles yawned, "But if you decide to speak, then you know where I am. But please, when you're here, double check your feelings, especially if they're bad. I doubt that even Mystique could get in here without me knowing immediately."

Logan couldn't help but smile, "If there's comes a day when you don't know something Charles, I'll trade in my bike."

"Let's hope it never comes to that," Xavier returned Logan's smile.

After the tour Kess took Jamie back to her room. "You have no clothes," she said in awe when she went through Jamie's armoire. "I don't want to seem vain but I like to dress well. And I like my friends to dress well too," she gave Jamie a grin, "So it's Friday night, and I know you're tired, but if you get some rest tomorrow we can go shopping. Because you definitely need clothes. And don't worry about money, we get an allowance and for new students you get some clothing money."

"Sweet," Jamie said and ran her hands over her well worn shirts, "It will be nice to get some new things. These are pretty old."

"I'll say," Kess said and held up a white t-shirt with a hole worn in the shoulder. "So cage fights huh? That's pretty cool, I used to get in fights, none that paid though," Kess laughed.

"I can relate to that," Jamie agreed, "But I do prefer the paid fights. So where are you from?"

"Originally Egypt," Kess replied, "But I was in Spain for a little bit before I came to New York."

"Wow Egypt," Jamie nodded, "That's where I figured, I mean you could be Cleopatra."

Kess laughed, "Well I hopefully don't look like what she looks like now."

"No," Jamie replied, "Certainly not. No offense but I don't think you'd look too good in all those mummy wrappings."

Kess patted Jamie's shoulder, "I think I like you, Jamie," she said.

When Jamie woke up on Saturday morning she thought she was still sleeping and having the best dream. She was in a school for mutants, a place she belonged, with a new friend and an opportunity to make her life into whatever she wanted. She dressed in her trusty Wranglers and a red camisole top after her shower. Kess came into her room at around 9. "Morning sunshine," she said, "I hope you're ready to shop."

"As long as I have a mentor," Jamie said, "I've never gone shopping before."

"Never?" Kess said and flattened her blue halter top over her toned stomach absentmindedly, "Well, believe me, we're going to have some fun. Though it's definitely business, I can't have you walking around in only those jeans."

"But they're my favorites," Jamie replied a little defensively.

Kess giggled, "Don't worry," she said and took Jamie's hand, "You aren't going to get rid of them, we're just going to get them a few friends, you know, to give them a break once in a while. Come on." Jamie let herself be led to the garage. They passed a few of the rec rooms and she saw a ton of people in all of them watching TV, playing cards, talking and doing homework. Kess waved to a guy in one of the rooms and blew him a kiss.

"Oh, boyfriend?" Jamie asked. That was one aspect of this place she hadn't thought about. She'd never had a boyfriend or been on a date in her life. Maybe getting some new clothes would be a good idea she decided as she thought back to the meager amount of tops she had in her room.

"You bet," Kess said and smiled to herself, "He's the best. And he has a lot of really nice friends," she raised an eyebrow to Jamie, "You never know."

Kess drove to the mall in one of the two mustangs in the garage, a black V8 '06 that Kess drove a little fast and a little recklessly. "You really know how to handle a car," Jamie complemented.

She smiled mischievously as they parked, "Well I've had some practice," she said, "But I don't know much about what make them tick. I mean, this one I'm pretty familiar with but if you like cars you should definitely take Scott's Auto Mechanics class. John, the boyfriend, took it and said it's really great. Scott can be a little annoying sometimes but he really knows what he's talking about."

"Yeah when I heard that was offered here I nearly had a heart attack I was so happy," Jamie laughed as they walked inside, "I worked at a mechanics place for a few months and it was one of the best times I had. I learned a lot and I've been itching to get under the hood of a car again."

"Well it sounds like you have one of your five classes picked," Kess opened the door and Jamie was hit by the smell of soft pretzels, cookies, and new leather. "What other things are you interested in? You'll probably have to take a math or English course too, but they offer some really great classes here. I'm in Music Theory, Logic, History 430, International Studies, and Music Administration. Do you know what you want to do after you graduate?"

"I guess I haven't really thought about it too much," Jamie replied as they walked into a department store, "I've kind of always dreamed of owning my own auto and motorcycle shop. I mean, it's what I love and I'm not too worried about money but doing something that makes me happy."

"That sounds like a great dream," Kess said, "If it's what you love then you'll do great. I don't know if you can tell but my passion is music. I write a lot of songs with John and I play the guitar. We have a little sort of band, John on bass and our friend Sammie on drums. Sometimes Ali Blaire plays with us too. It's really fun; we're trying to come up with a demo CD. But I'm not basing my whole future on the band though, that's why I'm studying Music Admin. John's dad is a music producer and I'd really like to get a job with his company some day. John already does a lot with them, he's a genius, and it's all so interesting and exciting."

"Oh a band," Jamie said fingering through some of the clothes they passed, "That's so cool. I thought I heard you playing yesterday when I got here, it sounded great. I can't play any instruments," she laughed.

"Well, if you ever want to learn," Kess winked. She first took Jamie to the intimates department, "Here we will get the 'behind the scenes' stuff, some good bras, other underclothes, pajamas and the all important socks. I know you're from Canada but it still gets pretty cold here. After Spain and Egypt it was kind of hard for me to adapt to the cold. But I lived in New York before I came to the Institute," as they walked through the intimates section Kess picked out different things for Jamie and set them in her arms, "In the city but it was certainly not glamorous," she laid a pair of wool socks across the pile she had already set up, "I was actually technically homeless before I came to Xavier's. I had worked at a few places like bars and stuff but I kept getting fired. Believe it or not I used to have a pretty bad attitude, I'm a lot better now though," she reassured Jamie, "Though people don't really like to get on my bad side."

Jamie felt like she could really connect with Kess. It seemed like they were going to have a lot in common because Jamie certainly knew what it was like to be considered a bad girl. "Well I will certainly try to stay off it. I think the same could be said of my bad list," she laughed.

"Oh you don't have to worry," Kess said, "I think we're going to get a lot just fine. We should probably get your measurements before we go to the bra section."

"Measurements?" Jamie asked, "I'm 6 foot, and I weigh 140."

Kess laughed out loud, "No, no not those measurements. I mean for a bra."

"Oh," Jamie said. She hadn't really worried about bra size, she always found something that worked well enough for her. Lots of sports bras she realized.

Kess found a sales associate who took Jamie into a dressing room to measure her. "Well?" Kess asked when they walked out.

"36 D," the sales woman said and went to find a few bras for Jamie to try on.

"Well that was maybe one of the most awkward experiences of my life," Jamie said when she was back in the dressing room with Kess waiting outside it.

Kess laughed, "Try getting a bikini wax," she called from the other side of the door, "I love swimsuit season but that's something I could do without."

Jamie shivered, "Bikini wax just sounds painful. So what do you think?" she came out in a green bra with blue polka dots that Kess had picked out in addition to the basic colors.

"Very cute," Kess grinned, "Alright, grab the ones you like, the sports bras and we'll pay for all this and head to Express. They're having a sale on their jeans and I think that you'll like them."

In Express Jamie got three more pairs of jeans, two flairs and one skinny, and a shiny salmon halter top. In Etc. she picked out a bunch of t-shirts with simple designs and Kess helped her find two other tops that were a little more feminine. "You have a great figure," she said, "And these will really accent it well." She put the green halter and the red strappy top in the pile of clothes that they were going to buy and moved on to shoes. "A good pair of boots, some new sneakers because yours are going to the dogs, chucks and salmon heels to go with that other top and maybe some black sandals." Jamie was wide-eyed as they traveled through the mall, Kess picking out accessory after accessory that all matched perfectly with her new clothes.

"It's so weird having all this," Jamie said looking at her bags as they ate some pizza in the food court, "I don't think I've ever owned this many clothes in my entire life."

"Well, this is only the beginning," Kess sipped on her sweet tea, "When I first got to the mansion I had only the clothes on my back and a jacket but now, well you'll just have to see my closet."

Jamie stretched when they finished eating and headed back to the parking lot. "God these are heavy," she laughed as they gathered their bags up.

"I know, where's a man when you need one right?" Kess replied, "You're pretty lucky you know."

"Lucky?" Jamie asked as they drove back to the mansion, "What do you mean?"

"Well you have your own room," Kess continued, "Most people have a roommate."

"But you don't have a roommate do you?"

"I'm an honors student," Kess explained, "Jubilee, you'll meet her later, has her own room, Kitty and I think that's all. John shares a room with his friend Pete, they're both honor students but opted to room together to save room. There's more girls here than guys so some girls are in triples. But you got the last empty room. That's why you're lucky. There's no new students coming in so you got to take that room."

"Sweet," Jamie said, "But I would be ok with a roommate."

"Oh yeah, roommates are great, but it's also really nice to have only one person to share a bathroom with instead of three people."

"That's true," Jamie agreed, "But it may seem like you're sharing a bathroom with three people, I'm not the cleanest person."

Kess laughed, "Well thanks for the warning."

Kess left Jamie to put her new clothes away and promised to come back and get her for dinner. Jamie hung up her tops and folded her tees and put away her shoes. She sat down on her bed took out the old diary she had kept since she could remember. She'd written down every strange dream or feeling of déjà vu she had ever had. She'd considered talking to the professor about it but she was hoping to just put those times behind her and start new. She closed the diary and shoved it under her mattress.

Kess was seated at a table in a study room on the first floor going over her Music Administration homework. "Hey hot mama," John said as he sat down across the table from her.

"Hey babe," she perked up and leaned over to give him a quick kiss and ruffle his shaggy brown hair.

"So how was shopping with the new girl?" he asked and put his long toned legs up on the table.

Kess drew a smiley face on his ankle after she moved her homework to the side, "Great, I really like her. It's been so lonely with Ali B going on so many missions and Jubilee has been really busy with her International Affairs classes. And Jamie is great, she's really easy to talk to. And she looks like a real fighter too, which is exciting."

"Kind of like someone else I know," John said, "So how's the homework?"

"Not too bad, did you already finish the assignment?"

"Of course," he winked and sat up in his chair, pulling out a laptop to work on his unfinished History paper.

"So modest," Kess smiled playfully and stared at her boyfriend for a minute as he got to work on his paper. She loved looking at him, his brown hair that fell in his eyes and over his ears. He was thin compared to a lot of the body builder types that they had classes with but his toned, muscular build put most to shame. His blue eyes always held a mischievous glint and he was always up for playing a prank. But that's not what she loved about him; he was the warmest more mature person she knew. Always on top of things and always there for her when she needed him. She smiled to herself and got back to work until 6 o'clock rolled around and she ran back upstairs to get Jamie for dinner. "You coming babe?" she asked John.

"Actually Peter and I are going to work on the Camaro in the garage," he replied as he packed up his things, "But I'll come by your room tonight and we can watch a movie. Sound good?"

"Absolutely," Kess agreed and gave him a peck on the cheek, "I'll see you later."

"Love you pretty lady."

"Love you too charmer."

Jamie had spent the afternoon going over what classes she wanted to take since she started on Monday and had decided on Ancient History, Southern Literature, Studio Art, Auto Mechanics and Algebra. "Hey what do the numbers mean at the end of the course listing?" Jamie asked when Kess entered her room.

"Oh that just refers to what level it is, all yours should be in the 400s, whether it's a 401 or a 456 just refers to what order the classes are listed in. And the teachers are great so if you feel behind they'll do whatever it takes to help you," she looked over Jamie's classes and nodded, "Very nice, so you hungry yet?"

"Starved," Jamie said happily and jumped up from her bed.

Dinner was lasagna and Jamie met more people than she thought she could handle. She was introduced to Alison Blaire also known as Dazzler and could tell why Kess got along so well with the other music loving mutant. Jamie sat at a table with Kess, Ali, Jubilee and Warren, an extremely good looking mutant with full size wings like that of an angel.

Most of the conversation revolved around Jamie's first day and the homework that the students had left to do. Ali wasn't taking any classes because she was working on things with her band in the city but Warren and Kess talked about the History paper they both had to finish.

"So what are your powers?" Jubilee asked Jamie as she twirled long brown hair around her finger.

"Well, apparently they're really similar to someone else here, Logan I think was his name," Jamie explained and Kess and Warren turned back to her.

"Yeah," Kess said, "Jamie has some kickass claws."

"Oh wow, so I guess you have the whole healing and strength thing down too then?" Jubilee admired.

"And agility," Jamie added, "Which helps a lot."

"I bet it does," Ali said, "Hey I'll catch you guys later, see ya bad boy," she gave Warren a kiss and hugged Kess.

Jubilee rolled her eyes, "You're anything but a bad boy War," she laughed, "You're a more of a saint than Jean."

Warren shrugged shyly, "What can I say? I didn't tell her to call me that."

"Warren's code name, Angel, fits his personality more than his appearance," Kess explained to Jamie, "I don't think he's ever done a single thing against the rules."

"Unlike some of us," Jubilee said pointedly at Kess.

"Hey now, I just like to have fun," Kess defended herself.

After dinner Jamie and Kess went back upstairs and Kess plopped down on Jamie's bed, "So are you ready for classes on Monday?" she asked.

Jamie sat on the vanity chair, "I don't know, I mean, yes, but I'm a little nervous. I haven't been to 'school' before."

"Oh it'll be fine," Kess reassured her, "Tomorrow I have a paper to work on but I'll see you at dinner and then on Monday make sure you find me at lunch so I can hear all about your day." Her brown eyes glittered yellow, "I'm going to watch a movie with John so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll see you later," Jamie said, "I think I'm going to turn in early anyway, all that shopping wore me out," she yawned. After a long, relaxing shower Jamie put on her new pajamas and lay down, turning on a radio next to her bed and finding a station she liked. She could hear the movie playing in Kess room and she thought back to the situation in the Training Room the previous day. She hadn't thought much about because she was busy with moving in and getting acquainted but something about it unnerved her. She'd never heard of two mutants with the same powers and the fact that Logan had claws just like hers made her wary and it brought back some of the dreams she'd had. Jamie snuggled deeper into her covers and remembered the feeling of those sharp claws plunging into her stomach. It had only hurt for a moment and she had such adrenaline surging in her that she had barely felt it. When she fought she was like a machine, she didn't feel pain and she never let anything stop her. But she couldn't get the look of Logan's eyes out of her mind, they were oddly familiar and the rage he fought with was something she felt all too often herself. _But I'm at a new school with new friends,_ she thought to herself, _whatever problem he has with me will get solved one way or the other._ She heard John say goodnight to Kess and as she heard the shower start for Kess she rolled over and fell into a deep, sleep though even in her dreams she couldn't let go of the aggressive feelings she had toward Logan.


	2. New Friends

**A New Home**

**Chapter 2: New Friends**

Jamie woke up at 7AM on Monday morning ready for her first class. She heard Kess in the bathroom brushing her teeth and went in to use the second sink to wash her face. "Good morning," Kess said brightly after she finished her teeth.

"Morning," Jamie replied, "You look nice today."

"Why thank you," Kess said happily. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans that were long on her and bunched around her purple flats that matched the purple cami she wore over a black one.

"So you never told me why you're called Medusa," Jamie said after she changed into her wranglers and a light blue tank she'd bought on Saturday.

Kess smiled and almost before Jamie could realize what happened Kess had changed her entire body. She was now covered in dark green scales like a snake with diamond patterns running up her arms and down her back. Her hair was no longer long and black but a tangle of thin snakes that hissed around her head. Her eyes were narrow and yellow and a forked tongue flicked out past long white fangs. A moment later Kess had changed back to her familiar human form and started to put on makeup with hands that ended in painted nails instead of dark claws. "That's why."

Jamie's eyes were wide, "Impressive," she said, "Any other surprises?"

"Not yet, but this is the age where most mutants powers evolve so you never know," Kess hinted happily, "I'm extremely agile though, with heightened senses and speed, and my skeleton can sort of flatten so I can get in some pretty tight places. It comes in handy."

"I bet it does," Jamie laughed and pulled on her new sneakers, "So I have Auto Mechanics first. I don't remember seeing the classroom for that on the tour."

"That's because the classroom is in a separate building by the garage. It's just a little ways down the side path and really easy to find. But you better hurry up, it's almost 8."

Jamie grabbed a pen and a notebook and parted ways with Kess who went downstairs to her International Studies class. Outside the air was warm and pleasant, it was a bright autumn day and Jamie enjoyed being outside. That's one thing that she had always loved about Canada, it was so nice to be able to take a walk through a forest or hike across a field. It was going to take some getting used to being in such a populated area. She heard a bell ring and realized she was late for her class when she spotted the shed that Auto Mechanics was held in.

Jamie walked in five minutes late to class and was greeted by an entirely male classroom, "Sorry Mr. Summers," she apologized, "I'm still getting used to finding my way around."

"It's quite alright Jamie," Scott said, "It does take a little practice. If you'll take the empty seat in the back by Peter we'll get started." From somewhere in the middle of the classroom came a whistle and Scott frowned, "Alright settle down boys, you've seen a girl before."

Jamie hurried to her seat, wranglers hugging her waist. Her light blue top contrasted beautifully with her skin tone, and it kept her cool while still snuggling against her flat stomach and Amazonian curves. "Hey there," said the guy next to her, "I'm Peter."

"Jamie," she whispered and looked up into the stunning blue eyes of her classmate. He looked too big for the desk and Jamie figured he must be at least 6'6" and he was gorgeous. Through his white t-shirt she could see the strong muscles that ran up his arms and across his chest. His dark brown hair was cut short and Jamie pegged his age at about 19. He had such a welcoming, warm look, it was so distracting. His smile was shy and innocent, it looked so out of place on the face of such a large, intimidating figure but Jamie was struck by it. She had to force herself to pay attention to Scott's lecture though once she started listening it wasn't hard. Kess was right, Scott did know what he was talking about and she learned a few new things that she found very helpful.

As Scott went on about mainshafts and other parts of the transmission Peter didn't hear a word of it. His thoughts were on the beautiful girl next to him. She was gorgeous in a rough and tumble kind of way but with a soft femininity that he could sense under her hard exterior. Her eyes were amazing, like two prisms. They were hard to figure out at first, being so many colors, they shone a bright yellow against dark pupils and they seemed to darken at the edges with flecks of green and blue. He felt lightheaded looking into them beneath her long lashes. Even the way she dressed appealed to him. It was so simple but so flattering, she didn't have to try at all to look amazing.

"Tonight's homework assignment is to read the chapter on transmissions and for those of you in my Advanced class, John, Pete and Christian you should start thinking about your final projects. You're going to work on the transmission and the cooling system for the car you're assigned to and for the final exam I'm going to have you rebuild an engine. There's only three of you so two of you will be partners and one will be on their own and you guys can work that out among yourselves," Scott said before he dismissed the class.

Jamie gathered up her things when class ended and started towards the mansion for her History class. She was a little worried about the assignment because she didn't have a text book. "I wouldn't mind studying with that Peter," she said to herself as she walked.

"Hey baby, you got a name?" said a voice from behind her.

Jamie looked over her should to see one of the guys from her class with two of his friends behind him, "Who wants to know?" she asked with an aggressive undertone and continued walking.

"Matt Stinson," the guy said and placed himself in front of her, forcing her to stop.

"Move," Jamie said angrily, towering above his 5'7" stature.

"Aw come on cutie, it's just a question," Matt said and took a step towards her.

"You heard the lady," said a deep voice from behind Jamie, "Move."

She turned around to see Peter towering behind her though she had already known it was him when his shadow had engulfed not only her but also Matt whose look narrowed in anger, "This is a private conversation," Matt said, "Why don't you back out Pete."

"I think you need to get to class Matt," Peter said.

"Or you'll what?"

"I don't think you want to find that out."

Matt stared at Peter for a moment then looked back to Jamie and lost his nerve. "I'll see you at lunch hot stuff," he said to Jamie and moved out of the way, "This isn't over Pete," Matt growled as Peter passed him.

"Oh yeah it is," Peter replied as he escorted Jamie away from Matt and his friends, looking like a perfect pair. They were both so tall and toned they could have been models for a fitness magazine. "Sorry about that," he said when they reached the mansion.

Jamie smiled shyly, not sure of how to act around Peter, he had practically taken her breath away. His hand on her shoulder had felt so strange, she wasn't used to non-threatening physical contact but she was beginning to think she liked it. "Oh no," she said and cleared her throat, "Thanks for that. I hope all the guys here aren't like that."

"No, most are nice," Peter smiled and opened the door for her, "But some people just feel like they need to get in the new person's face."

"Thanks," Jamie said as she stepped through the door.

Peter inhaled the scent of her clean hair and felt himself blush. "So when did you get here?" he asked.

"Friday," Jamie answered, "I've met tons of people in the past three days, I'm afraid I won't remember their names."

Peter laughed, "Yeah, there's an imposing number of people here, but they're really great to get to know and someone as pretty as yourself will have no trouble making friends." Peter realized what he said and coughed to cover up his nervousness as they walked to the same class.

Jamie blushed and bit her lip, not sure why she did, "Well hopefully all the people I meet will be as handsome and gentlemanly as you are Peter," she complemented, "Oh are you in Ancient History too?"

"Yep, and Studio Art, Algebra and Economics. Ororo is one of my favorite teachers though," he said, "She really makes History come alive. Which is good because it's usually a 'put you to sleep' subject to me."

Jamie giggled, "I know how that feels," she said and entered the classroom.

"Oh good morning Jamie," Ororo said as she turned away from the chalkboard, "First day of classes going well?"

"Absolutely," Jamie replied, "I really like it here."

"That's what I want to hear," Ororo smiled and went to her podium as Jamie took a seat next to Peter in the back. "Alright class," Ororo began as the last student finished taking their seat, "If you'll turn to Chapter 3 we'll continue our discussion about Ancient Egypt."

"Where's Kess when you need her?" said the girl in front of Jamie who she recognized as Jubilee.

As Ororo started talking about Ramses II Jamie realized she hadn't received any text books yet and didn't have anything to follow along in. She was still getting used to having to go to school, she was smart but had no memory of ever having going to class or having any kind of formal education.

A book slid in front of her on the table. "Don't worry, I got your back," Peter said moving his chair close to hers.

Jamie tried to suppress another blush and she bit her lip, starting to become aware of her reaction to him, "I'm glad you do," she replied softly feeling light at heart. Jamie took diligent notes as Ororo talked about pharaohs and pyramids and the brilliant civilization that was way beyond their time. Peter turned the pages of the book and was acutely aware of Jamie's warm body next to his, her toned arm brushing against him occasionally as she wrote. Her actions were subtle and flirty but Peter was pretty sure that Jamie was completely oblivious to how she made him feel.

"Now for next class finish reading the Chapter and do the review questions at the end," Ororo said after an hour of lecturing, "Have a great Monday class."

"Ready for lunch?" Peter asked.

"Definitely," Jamie replied.

"Hey Jamie," Jubilee said when she heard Jamie's voice behind her, "I didn't even see you."

"Hi Jubilee," Jamie smiled, "Yeah I was hiding in the back."

"Nice, are you two heading to lunch?" she asked Jamie and Peter.

"Yeah, hopefully it's not fried chicken," Peter answered and walked with the two girls to the lunch room.

"Hey you guys," Kess and pushed her way between Peter and Jamie just outside the lunch room, "How are classes?"

"Awesome," Jamie answered, "Auto Mechanics is my dream come true."

"Sweet. I see you met Peter," Kess said stood in line for tuna salad with the three other students.

"Yeah, we have pretty much all the same classes," Jamie said and smiled up into Peter's eyes.

Peter smiled back and Kess raised her eyebrows to Jubilee. "Well, I'll see you later this evening Jamie," she said and got her food in a to-go box, "Jubilee and I have a meeting for International Studies, let's go Jube."

Jubilee and Kess took off for their meeting, leaving Peter and Jamie to find seats in the crowded cafeteria. Jamie dove into her tuna salad and sipped on her diet coke as she talked to Peter. "So where are you from?" she asked. He had a very strong accent and Jamie figured he was Russian.

"Russia," Peter answered, "I really miss it, especially my family. My sister, Illyana, and I are really close."

"Oh you have a sister," Jamie asked interested. She had never had anything to call a family especially not a sibling. The idea of a sister was extremely appealing to her though there wasn't much she could do about that situation.

"Yes, she's actually the one who helped me discover my 'unique talents'…in a way," he started on his second helping of lunch.

"In a way?" Jamie questioned.

"Well, it was by saving her from a run-away tractor that we discovered what I could do," he said, "My parents were amazed and I was scared. But it saved Illyana and that's all that matters to me."

"What is it that you can do?" Jamie asked, he was a big guy but other than she couldn't see much of a mutation. If the situation involved a tractor he could be able to heal himself like she could.

"I probably shouldn't show you here, it might make for some disruption. How about I show you later? But I'll give you a hint, it earned me the name Colossus," Peter replied with a wink.

While Peter was talking to Jamie, Matt was watching from across the room running a quarter across his knuckles. "Well we can't have that," he said to himself as he watched their conversation.

"Why do you care Matt?" said one of the other guys at the table, "She's just talking to Peter it's no big deal."

Matt slapped the back of his friend's head, "Because no one shows me up Tony," he said and stood, "Now come on." Matt sat down on Jamie's left and took a bite of the cookie Peter had grabbed with his lunch, "So you two are best friends now huh?" he asked.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Peter asked, working hard to contain his anger.

"Nope, I think I like it right here," Matt replied and put his arm around Jamie's shoulders.

In a split second Jamie had slashed out her claws and was pressing them menacingly against Matt's neck. "Don't touch me," she snarled close to Matt's ear, "Or I'll show you the meaning of being sorry."

"I believe she's made herself clear," Peter said and stood up, "Besides, you should know better than to mess with a new kid, especially when you don't know their specialty is." He picked Matt up by the neck of his shirt and placed him on his feet, "Now I think you should really go back to your own table."

Jamie rolled her eyes and brooded over her tuna while Peter sat back down. "I'm sorry for the bad impression they're giving you," Peter apologized, "Matt has an attitude problem and he can't stand it when someone one-ups him."

"It's alright," Jamie said, "I've been dealing with people like him for a long time. There's really no getting through to them."

"Well, don't worry about him. I think he's learned his lesson. You want to get to class?"

"Sure," Jamie said happier, "Studio Art?"

"Nothing better," Peter smiled and took their trays to the garbage.

Jamie enjoyed the rest of her classes and had fun spending time with Peter. "Oh, by the way, how do I get into the Advanced Auto class?" she asked as they walked to one of the empty rec rooms together to do homework. Jamie had asked Ororo about her books and was told that they would be delivered to her door that night.

"You'll have to talk to Scott," Peter said, "John and I had to take a verbal test and work on a car together, but Christian had to take a written exam. So you really like cars don't you?"

Jamie thought back to all the days she'd spent working on cars, "What's not to like?" she smiled and sat down at a table, knowing he understood what she meant. It was the way the engine sounded when you put the petal to the floor, how certain paints caught the light emphasizing the curves, and how a car can tell you more about a person's then words. Coming back from her thoughts she looked at her lap then back up, "Also, about before…outside, with Matt. I could have handled myself. I mean I'm really glad you helped but…ah God I'm bad at this."

"Let me make it easier for you," Peter smiled gently, "I didn't want that disgusting toad to touch you. And I know you didn't want him to touch you. You should want a guy to touch you and that's only time it's ok for him to do so," he paused, "But I know you can handle yourself, I mean those claws you whipped out at lunch were pretty wicked. Any other powers I should know about?"

"Superhuman strength, healing abilities and I have been told that I am an okay fighter. They seem pretty run of the mill and boring compared to some of the other things I have seen here." she giggled.

"Um well if that's 'run of the mill' then you could definitely give me a run of the mill ass kicking," he said impressed, "I wouldn't have thought you could do all that."

"I'm sure there're people here with much more powerful gifts," Jamie said more modestly.

"I don't think it has anything to do with more power. When I first saw you I wouldn't have thought you could do all that. You seemed so…" he searched for the word.

"Powerless?" she finished for him.

"I was going to say beautiful, you certainly don't look powerless. Now I'm thinking you are one of those glorious amazons that escaped from a comic book. "

Jamie laughed with a visible blush because she felt so happy talking to Peter. "I do what I can, I guess."

"Modesty must be one of your other powers," Peter snickered, "I don't know how you can be so humble."

Jamie shrugged she had never thought of herself as modest. She just wasn't use to receiving compliments; she was more confident and cocky when people got in her face or dared her. She smiled "So what's on the agenda?"

Peter opened his bag and pulled out several textbooks, "Let's start with Algebra."

Jamie and Peter worked on their homework in the room alone until a few other students came in some working, some talking. Kess was one of the students to walk in followed by a tall brunette guy Jamie recognized from her Auto class. When Kess spotted Jamie she brightened and pulled the brunette with her. "Hey Jamie," she said and sat down, "How's the work coming?" she asked, "Oh this is John by the way."

"Hey Jamie," John put out a hand, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Same here John," Jamie shook his hand.

"So Pete, you ready to start on that transmission?" John asked Peter as Kess talked to Jamie.

"I think so, I wish there were four of us in the class though," Peter replied, "But I thought I'd work alone on this project since you had the first one by yourself and the second one you and I worked together and left Christian alone."

John nodded, "That sounds good, I think Christian was hoping for that anyway. He didn't have a good time with the last project, but I think working with the brake system was the hardest of the two things we've done so far."

"Agreed," Peter said.

"So it looks like you're making friends," Kess smiled whispering to Jamie, "Some pretty cute friends hmm?"

Jamie blushed and whispered back, "He's cool. You said before that he was John's roommate, right?"

"Yeah," Kess replied, "And he's such a sweetheart, a total gentleman, but kind of shy so you'll have to be patient with him."

"I think that –oh!" Jamie exclaimed and jumped up. Scott had just walked into the rec room and she was eager to talk to him about the Advanced class.

"Ah, I think we may have an addition to our Advanced Auto group," Peter told John while they watched Jamie talk.

"Oh nice, then maybe you wouldn't have to work on the final by yourself," John said pulling Kess' chair closer to his and setting his arm across her shoulders.

"So Peter, it looks like you and Jamie are getting along well," Kess said.

"And I bet you think you're the matchmaker?" John teased.

"Not at all," Kess defended herself, "They met in class. Though if they hadn't then I'm sure that sometime, while we were all hanging I would have introduced them at some point…"

"You're a trip," John laughed, "What did Scott say?" he asked as Jamie sat down.

"He said I could take the oral exam and he'd have me work on the final with someone to see if I'm qualified," she beamed, "I'm so excited!"

"That's great Jamie," Kess congratulated her, "Hey John and I have to go spar but we'll catch you later ok?"

"Definitely, bye. It was nice to meet you John."

"So what did you think?" Kess asked as she changed into her red sports bra and black spandex shorts.

"About what?" John called from her bathroom where he was changing into basketball shorts and a white tank.

"Jamie," Kess replied putting her hair up in a messy bun.

"She's great," John answered and came back into her room, "Why?"

"Well, she's is dating your best friend," Kess continued.

John snorted and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself?" he asked, "I mean, they just met. I think you have to go on a date _before _you can be dating."

"Please, you saw how Peter looks at her, that's exactly how you looked at me at the beginning," she kissed his nose.

"And still do, despite the glares I receive in return," he joked.

"Hey now, I look at you just as love-struck as you look at me, only you're never paying attention when I do it," she smiled, "But other people are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked and took her hand as they walked downstairs to the Training Room.

Kess covered a smile, "Yesterday, when you were working out in the grove outside, I was just taking a study break and I was watching you. And Christy sat down next to me, said 'Do you have to undress him with your eyes so much? It's disgusting,' and then left really quick. Honestly I was just shocked, I didn't even react. Because you know if I had then she wouldn't be smiling so much in class."

"You need to watch that temper of yours," John said, "It's going to get you in trouble one day."

"It already got me in trouble babe," Kess winked, "Don't you remember the beginning of our relationship?"

"Oh right," he laughed as they entered the Training Room, "How could I forget about that. You were so angry. I don't know how I fell for you."

"Aw, sure you do, it's because I'm perfect," Kess said happily.

Ororo was setting up mats when the two walked in and there were several other students in the room stretching for their workout. Kess and John waited with Ali and Warren while the rest of the students finished coming in.

"How's the band Ali?" Kess asked while she stretched her arms out.

"They're being kind of lame," Ali replied smoking a cigarette, "We were supposed to have a show this weekend but it got cancelled and now they're just complaining. Bunch of little girls," she rolled her eyes.

"You'll get your break," Warren said and took her cigarette to put it out, "But if you keep smoking as much as you do then you might die before then."

"If smoking kills me babe, I'll be surprised. I think between dodging bullets and traveling to anti-mutant countries something other than smoking will do me in."

"Alright," Ororo announced, "Let's get warmed up then we'll find partners and spar for 30 minutes. Everyone who is going on the mission this weekend, please stay after the session for a minute."

The students took their time doing sprints and squats then split into pairs. Kess sparred against Ali and John sparred with Warren. Even when she wasn't in her Medusa form Kess was still more agile and quick than any mutant her age. She ducked and spun making Ali sweat to keep up with her. Occasionally John looked over at Kess as she worked, admiring the way her shorts fit her and her strong leg muscles absorbed a blow. Her toned stomach stretched as she did a back flip away from Ali and then whipped around in a roundhouse kick. At the end of the session Ali was breathing hard. "If you stopped smoking you could fight better," Warren mused as Ali lit up another cigarette.

"I don't know why you guys insist on dating girls who are so totally lame," a red headed girl said as she walked up to the group.

"Hey Christy," Kess snapped, "Why don't you get the hell out of here, the session's over."

John put a calming hand on Kess' shoulder, "We have business to talk about Christy, and I don't think it's smart to say whatever comes into your airy head."

Christy glared with green eyes, "You used to like me so much John," she said, "I don't know what spell she put you under."

John rolled his eyes and felt Kess tense under his hand, "There's no spell," he said in a warning voice, "I think you should go."

Christy left in a huff and Kess let John lead her over to Ororo with Ali and Warren. "So this is a really simple mission," Ororo began, "We're just doing some protection in Washington. Ali you're going to be undercover in the crowd while the President speaks. Warren we have you hidden on top of the Lincoln Monument so keep your eyes open. Kess, you're going to be posing as Secret Service on the stage. That means that if anything happens you have to get the President to the safe room under the stage. If it comes to any fighting you're going to leave that to Logan and myself. And John, this mission is especially important for you because you're going to be with Scott inside the Lincoln Memorial building maneuvering everyone. This counts as some training for you to lead a mission in the future." John couldn't help smiling, he wasn't so much excited to be working with Scott who sometimes got on his nerves but he was looking forward to leading a mission and was grateful for any experience he could get. "Now Kurt, and Jean will be hiding in the crowd with you Ali. I'll be on the stage as a guest so if any of you see anything suspicious make sure you relay it to the others via comlinks. Especially Warren because he's going to have a tiny video camera attached to his sunglasses, the feed goes back to John and Scott who will be able to use it to communicate to the rest of you. Got it War? We'll leave on Thursday, around 4 and arrive in Washington with time to relax and go over plans again. The speech is Friday morning at 9AM so make sure you have everything packed and I'll see you all in class." Kess and John left the session and went to their separate to change then meet again in Kess' room to do homework.

Jamie and Peter had finished their homework and were sitting in the kitchen. Peter had prepared two plates with a warm brownie on each and a scoop of ice cream to top. "So is there anything I should know about Scott, to prepare for this verbal exam?" Jamie asked.

"He likes things straight forward," Peter said after thinking for a moment, "And it might be hard at first but you have to let him show you things even if you know it already. He kind of likes to be in charge and he is really smart, but sometimes a little obnoxious," he laughed.

Jamie nodded, "Well that's something I'll have to work on then." She knew cars so it might be a challenge to let Scott teach her what she already knew.

Once they finished their deserts Jamie gathered up her notebook and homework. "Thanks so much for helping me," she said, "I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Peter said standing up, "Do you mind if I walk you to your room?"

Jamie grinned wide, "Of course, you don't have to ask."

"Well I wouldn't want you to get sick of me," Peter joked.

"Don't worry, if I do I'll tell you," Jamie replied sarcastically as they headed up the stairs. It didn't take them long to reach her door. "Thanks again for everything you did today."

"Anytime," Peter smiled, "I'll see you in the morning Jamie."

"Goodnight Peter," Jamie said quietly and watched him walk down the hallway to his room. She leaned against the back of her door, letting her books hang by her side. She didn't know why she felt so warm and happy. She shrugged it off and set her stuff down on her bed then walked through the bathroom to Kess' room and knocked.

"Come in," Kess called.

"Hey," Jamie said and sat down on Kess' bed.

"Hey girl," Kess smiled and set aside the laptop she was typing on, "What's up?"

"Oh not too much," Jamie said realizing she definitely need to work on her social skills.

Kess looked at her knowingly, "Tell me all about him."

Jamie raised a brow, "Who?"

Kess blinked at her reply "Um Peter, the cute guy you were with all day today. That 'who'."

"Oh, he's awesome." Jamie stated wondering what Kess was fishing for.

"That's all?! You two were so flirting and Peter couldn't keep his eyes off you." Kess replied trying to get more out of Jamie.

"Flirting? I don't even know what that means" Jamie replied with total confusion on her face.

Kess' eyes went as big as half dollars in awe at the words Jamie had just uttered. "Dear Lord, sweet baby Jesus. You know flirting, when you tease and joke with someone you like to show them how you feel…." She concluded.

"Oh I didn't even know I was doing that. I like Peter he is different then most guys." Jamie sat down on the bed next to Kess. "I feel weird when I am an around him."

"Haven't you ever had a boyfriend or a crush before?" Kess asked hopefully.

"A what?" Jamie replied knowing instantly from Kess expression she was in shock.

"Oh we are going to have to start from scratch aren't we?" Kess exhaled and sighed.

"Oh," Jamie said after Kess finished her lesson on Boys 101, "My head hurts."

"You'll be fine," Kess laughed, "Anyway, Peter is a great catch, he's the kind of guy that would go to the end of the earth for you. So just be yourself and don't worry about anything else."

"I'm so happy Ororo and Kurt found me," Jamie yawned, "This place is great."

"It's definitely the people that make it great," Kess agreed, "Oh, also. I wanted to take you around town so you could get to know it this weekend but I can't. John and I are going on a mission with a bunch of others and we won't be back until Saturday evening and then I have a project to finish for Music Administration."

"A mission?" Jamie cocked her head.

Kess nodded, "Yeah, oh yeah, the mutants here, the ones that qualify, become part of a team called the X-men and we go on different missions, usually basic things like surveillance or protection but sometimes some really kick ass stuff happens and that's why we do training and work in the Danger Room with our powers. If you stay here then you'll become a team member too. And I know that's something you'd love. Fighting the enemies and using your powers," she started to get excited, "It's so badass. I love a good fight and the rush of danger. It's amazing."

Jamie's eyes sparkled with flecks of different colors, "Sounds like my kind of party," she said, "I can't wait. When can I start?"

"Well it just depends on when they think you're ready. It's the Professor, Logan, Ororo, Scott and Jean that usually put the teams together."

Jamie nodded, "Awesome, this place just gets better and better. Well I think I'm going to hit the hay," she yawned again, "See you tomorrow."

"Night Jamie," Kess said and went back to typing as her suitemate went back to her room. After a quick shower Jamie put her pjs on and fell asleep quickly under her warm comforter.

Jamie was engulfed in complete darkness and she had a sickening feeling that started in her stomach and emanated out to the tips of her toes and fingers. Distantly she could hear her claws sliding out of her knuckles and she could sense the presence of unknowing people around her. She felt like she was fighting against some force that was trying to send surges of violence through her body. She struggled to gain control of her body and as she ran down a hallway, away from the people, a painful shock shot through her legs with each step. She worked harder and harder to move her legs faster and faster and at certain spots in the hallways she felt like the floor was made of pillows because she would step on something soft that gave way beneath her feet a little. Vaguely she began to feel like someone was following her and she couldn't escape the eerie pulling that seemed to slow her body and make moving forward almost impossible. She screamed in her dream and pushed on towards a tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel. "Don't run from me Jamie," said a disembodied voice from close behind her.

"Get away from me," Jamie shouted in anger with a slight tinge of fear in her mind. As the speck of light got brighter it swallowed Jamie up as a large hand reached out to her shoulder.

Jamie sat straight up from her dream, drenched in sweat. She was shivering even though her room was warm and she went to the bathroom to wash her face. The fear from her dream shook her deeply and she turned on a lamp that sat on the table next to her bed. She pulled her diary out from under her mattress and proceeded to jot down her dream. It was similar to ones that she had had but she'd never heard the voice before. It sounded so familiar but she just couldn't place it and she knew it would drive her crazy. She lay back down and tried to fall asleep again but every time she closed her eyes she felt like she was back in the hallway trying to escape whatever was behind her.

She sighed and decided to go to the kitchen to find a midnight snack and hopefully be able to get past her dream.

Logan was sitting in the kitchen with the light above the sink on, drinking a root beer. He sensed Jamie before she came in while he was brooding over how much he hated not having a steady supply of real beer at the Institute. He made a mental note to buy some the next day and reminded himself that Jamie was a student, not an enemy.

"Can't sleep?" he asked when she opened the fridge to take out some milk. Jamie shrugged and poured herself a glass. "Saw you making some friends."

"Some people can sense correctly," she said nonchalantly and grabbed a muffin. She sat on the counter to have her snack and watched Logan intently at the table.

He bristled at the verbal slight she sent him and took a deep breath. "I'm…sorry I attacked you," he said, taking great pains to say the apology.

Jamie shrugged again, "Older you get the more the senses start to go." She finished her muffin and washed out her glass.

Logan took another deep breath, this girl was testing him. "So you're going to be starting training sessions with me soon," he changed the subject, "Hope you're prepared for that."

Jamie snickered, "Believe me, I can handle whatever you think up, but can you handle me Bub?" she said and walked back to bed. The meeting with Logan had taken her mind off her dream and when she finally lay down again she was able to rest easily through the night.


	3. Garage Nights

A New Home

**A New Home**

**Chapter 3: Garage Nights**

Jamie's second day of classes was as much fun as her first. In the morning she tried wearing one of her new pairs of jeans and a green tank. She covered up her messy hair with a baseball cap and headed out to the garage after grabbing some breakfast.  
She wanted to talk to Scott before class to see when she could take her oral exam. So at 7:30 she opened the door to the classroom to find Scott preparing his lesson plan. "Hey Jamie," he greeted her, "Anything I can help you with?"  
"I was just wondering when we could do my oral exam," she explained, "I really would like to start working on a car…and to have your opinion and thoughts on my work," she added remembering what Peter had said.  
Scott smiled, "Well I definitely understand that," he said, "If you're ready right now I think we can do the oral part. Then tonight around 7 if you come to the garage I'll be getting the other students started on their projects."  
Jamie beamed, "That would be awesome," she took a seat, "Do your worst."  
Scott put away his lesson planner and took out a plain notebook, "Alright, what is the main thing that transmissions provide?"  
"Speed-torque conversion," Jamie answered quickly, "from a high motor speed to a slower, forceful output."  
"Very nice," Scott nodded and wrote something in the notebook, "And what is the function of most modern gearboxes?"  
Jamie grinned confidently, "They reduce an unsuitable high speed and low torque of the output shaft to provide mechanical advantage which allows higher forces to be generated."  
Scott smiled, "You sure know your stuff. What is the typical range of revolutions per minute of an engine?"  
"Between 600 and 7000, while the car's wheels are rotating between 0 and 1800 rpms."  
Scott laughed out loud, "I might have to let you teach this class," he said, "Very good. What is the difference between a sliding-mesh manual transmission and a constant-mesh manual transmission?"  
Jamie acted like she was thrown off for a minute and then replied, "A sliding mesh has straight-cut spur gears that are spinning freely while a constant-mesh has diagonal cut helical gears which are meshed together instead of freely spinning."  
Scott shook his head in disbelief, "Amazing, alright I'm going to cut out the rest of the exam because that was by far the toughest question. It sounds like you're probably ready for this class."  
Jamie's smile stretched from ear to ear, "So I'll just be at the garage at 7 then?"  
"Yep," Scott said as the first few students came into the classroom, "You'll work with Peter on the old GTO while John and Christian take on the old Corvette."  
Jamie took her seat in the back and waited for Peter to join her while she doodled on her notebook. "Hey there," Peter said as he sat down.  
"Good morning," Jamie said brightly.  
"Sleep well?" Peter said, "You seem pretty happy."  
"That's because I just aced my oral exam for advanced auto. Now I have to do the hands on part, no sweat. So bub, you are looking at your new partner," she grinned devilishly.  
"Sweet," Peter said and gave Jamie a high-five, "I can't wait."  
"I know, it's going to be a lot of fun," Jamie said. She was so used to being just one of the guys that the feelings she had for Peter were almost unnerving. She definitely knew that what she felt for him was special and different from anything she had ever felt for a guy before. After class Jamie walked with Peter to History and then the two made their way to the lunch room.  
"Ah, fried chicken, my favorite," Peter said sarcastically.  
Jamie laughed, "Aw not so hungry anymore?"  
"Not so much," he replied though he took a large helping of the chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables making Jamie giggle silently.  
They sat down at a table outside since it was a nice day and were soon joined by Kess and John. "Hey guys," Jamie said, "How's class?"  
"Complicated," Kess said, "We're learning about the mastering process in Music Admin and I'm having a hard time understanding all of it."  
"It's one of those things that you have to do to understand better," John said and started on his fried chicken, "It's not that hard but not being able to actually do it is kind of hard."  
Kess rolled her eyes, "John basically grew up in a recording studio," she explained, "He had all this mastered before his mutation even manifested."  
John shrugged cockily, "It's L.A., what can I say?"  
"So John, what's your power?" Jamie asked curiously.  
After a mouthful of mashed potatoes John answered, "Well, I'm a fairly strong telepath and slightly telekinetic but my specialty is in dreams. Like let's say you have a dream that you want to see better, I can either watch it in my own head, to put it plainly, or I can make it seem real so both you and I and sometimes more people can see it as if it were actually happening. It doesn't seem like it would be very useful but it is. I can pinpoint nightmares better than regular dreams and if I make it real enough that unnerves an enemy, puts them off guard, it can even make them loose control. They never see it coming," he winked, "That's why they call me Sandman."  
Jamie laughed, "Sandman, I like it."  
"So Jamie are you coming to the training session today?" Kess changed the subject.  
"Can I?" Jamie asked unsure.  
"Of course," she replied, "It's an open session and you just have to pick a partner to spar with."  
Jamie nodded, "Sounds good, yeah I'll be there."  
"Great, I'll get you at 5."  
"What time is it over?" Jamie asked, "I have to be in the garage at 7."  
"Oh are you in the class?" John asked.  
"Well Scott is having me work with you guys to see if I really know what I'm talking about and then he'll decide if I'm 'qualified'."  
"Oh congrats Jamie," Kess said, "And yeah it's only an hour so you'll have plenty of time."  
After lunch Jamie finished up her classes feeling much more confident when she left Algebra with Peter than when she had left yesterday. They did a little homework together until 4:45 when Jamie left to go change for the training session. "Brought you some clothes," Kess said as she entered Jamie's room in a tight black tank and green shorts, "I realized we didn't get you any workout clothes yet, but we'll do that soon. These should fit in the mean time." Jamie changed into the red tank and black shorts. "You look hot even in that," Kess said.  
Jamie blushed, she wasn't used to 'looking hot', but she did like the idea of working out. Kess helped put her hair back with some bobby pins to keep it out of her face and then the two left to spar. John and Warren were there waiting though Ali was missing.  
"She's meeting with her band," Warren explained.  
Ororo and Logan came in to lead the session and after everyone had warmed up they split into pairs. "You and me buddy," John said to Warren.  
"So we're just going to spar really easily," Kess explained to Jamie, "Remember that you're much taller than me and stronger, so don't use too much force, we'll focus on more agility and quick reaction time," she grinned.  
"Gotcha," Jamie agreed.  
The girls started off slow doing basic maneuvers and concentrating mostly on blocking each other's punches. Jamie was amazed at how quick Kess was and how she could anticipate Jamie's next move and already be prepared to block it before Jamie threw the punch. Her reaction time was fantastic and Jamie could really admire her agility. Even though Kess was small and didn't seem too imposing she had a lot of power hidden behind her pretty face and she knew her body and how to work it, improving on each mistake she made.  
In comparison Kess was impressed with Jamie's form. While Jamie had never been formally trained she had the fluid motions of a skilled fighter and the rough force that reminded Kess of Logan's fighting style. Jamie's long leg aimed a kick at Kess head which Kess ducked and was surprised by how well Jamie used the momentum to spin herself around and be prepared to launch another attack move in almost no time. After a half an hour of sparring Ororo called for them to stop and ended the session. As Jamie left the room chatting with Kess she noticed Logan watching her intently. She had tried not to let his staring get to her while she fought with Kess but now she could feel his eyes on her as she walked out of the room.

"So Jamie," John said, shaking her from her thoughts, "I guess I'll see you in a little bit in the garage?"

"Yeah, definitely," Jamie agreed as she went to change. She put on a pair of Bermuda shorts and a simple white spaghetti strap tank. Once she got to the garage she switched her tennis shoes for a set of slip on work boots and looked over the car she would be working on. She knew the car well. It was a 1966 Pontiac GTO. It was a black, almost like the car from xXx, one of Jamie's favorite movies. Jamie could see Peter's muscular form under the hood studying the engine.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" Peter said when he looked up, he was looking at the car but his comment was directed at Jamie.

"Definitely," Jamie agreed as she opened the door and slid into the driver's seat.

"We gutted the cars at the beginning of the semester, so all our work has been to put them back together." There was something about seeing Jamie that brightened Peter's day. He hadn't trained with her but she was not far from his thoughts. Even in her work clothes she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was so raw and wild but she still had a sexy femininity that he could see in her eyes and the way she moved around the car.

Scott, John and another student with blond hair that Jamie figured was Christian filed into the garage. A red Corvette sat next to the GTO and John opened the hood as he and Christian began to inspect their vehicle.

"Nice to see you Jamie," Scott said, "I hope you're ready to work."

"Absolutely," Jamie said holding back how easy she knew this would be.

"Ok," he walked over to a work bench with the four students following him, "You're going to start by building the transmission here and then in next week, if you're finished by that time, we'll have you start installing it. You all know where the tools and equipment are, so go ahead and get started."

"Alright, you know how to weld?" Peter asked Jamie as he wheeled out the welding machine.

"Yeah," Jamie said and put on the welding helmet and gloves. She lowered the visor, "Alright give me some juice." Peter turned on the and Jamie tested the gun against some scrap metal then got to work putting together the mainshaft for the transmission while Peter worked on the details of the cast iron case that the shafts would be contained in.

"Shit," Jamie said as she raised her visor.

"Are you ok?!" Peter asked quickly, putting down his case.

"Yeah," Jamie said as she looked down at the third degree burn on her fore arm "The welder surged. Toasted me."

Peter looked wincing at the burn. "We need to go to the infirmary."

"No," Jamie laughed, "It's not a big deal. Just give it a minute." As she spoke the burn healed and the skin was completely smooth again. "See? All better."

"That was awesome," Pete said touched her newly healed arm. He was amazed and they continued with their work. Every so often Peter looked up from the case he was assembling to watch Jamie. More than her looks he liked her personality. It was exciting to him that she was so skilled with a welding gun and that she understood a car better then most guys. He didn't meet many girls that liked other things more than themselves but Jamie seemed to be full of surprises. She had a spot of grease on her cheek from the aluminum she was welding and she looked so gorgeous.

"Hand me that cylinder, please?" Jamie asked him.

"Oh sure," Peter replied.

Jamie was glad she had her helmet on because the blush on her face got redder and redder every time she sensed Peter's eyes on her. It was such a simple thing, working on the car, but it felt so natural to be working with Peter. Jamie preferred getting to know him this way, it was something she felt more comfortable with which was beneficial since she was still not totally sure how to handle herself around a guy that she liked.

"Oops, sorry," Peter said when he bumped into her reaching for another piece of aluminum.

"You're fine," Jamie smiled to herself and continued working on the mainshaft.

After an hour of working Scott told them they had worked enough. "So we'll reconvene again this time tomorrow and after that I should be done deciding whether Jamie's in the class," he said, "And then you're free to work on your own time but if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

John and Christian left, John had a History paper due the next day and Christian was working on a different project for his Modern Mechanics class.

"So Jamie," Peter said nervously as they walked back in from the garage, "Do you have a lot of plans this weekend?"

Jamie's replied nonchalantly, "Um no, I guess I was just going to get some work done. Kess won't be here so…"

"Oh yeah, she and John are going to Washington with the President. She's going as Secret Service right?"

Jamie's eyes widened, "I…I don't know, do they really get to do all that? Secret Service?"

"Definitely," Peter said, "It's great. Last summer I was in France for a week acting as an assistant to the French President. It was an amazing experience."

"It sounds like it," Jamie wondered, "That's so cool. I can't wait to get my chance."

"Well if you want to do any extra training just let me know, I've been here for years so I know my way around. It could be fun," Peter said excitedly.

"That would be great," Jamie beamed, "How about on Friday? After classes?"

"Sounds good," Peter agreed, he'd almost said 'It's a date' but had stopped himself in time. He wanted to take it slowly with Jamie because she seemed so special and in all honesty he was a fairly shy guy.

"So I'll see you tomorrow, Peter," Jamie waved when she got to her room.

"Have a good night," he replied.

"Hey big guy," John said when Peter walked in, "How was the transmission?"

"Really good," Peter said as he started the shower, "Jamie really knows what she's doing."

John was sitting at his desk working on his paper, "That's good; hopefully she can be your partner if she gets in the class."

"Yeah," Peter agreed, "She'll definitely get in the class, she knows everything about cars. She's so smart. And funny," he continued smiling, "And pretty…"

John looked up from his work and smirked, "I think someone has a crush."

Peter shrugged, "I don't know if I'd say crush, but she's definitely one hell of a girl."

John laughed, "Then she's one of two in this school." If John was anything then he was protective of and dedicated to his girlfriend. In his eyes there was no other woman in the world that could compare to her; she was everything he could ever want.

"Dude, you are lost to her," Peter shook his head and smiled as he walked into the bathroom.

"I'm not the only one," John called after him, "I guess Kess was right," he said to himself as he started back on his paper, "He has falling for Jamie."

When Jamie had finished her homework by herself she still felt a little restless and wasn't quite ready for bed. Her mind was still running with thoughts of the car, her dreams and most of all Peter, so she decided to get some of it out to Kess. "Hey," she said when she walked into Kess' room.

"Hey, what's up?" Kess asked. She was sitting on her bed in an emerald Chinese robe tuning her guitar.

"Very nice," Jamie admired the instrument while was bright red with tiger stripes.

"Thanks," Kess laughed, "I got it in a second hand shop. I've replaced the strings about million times though."

"I would really like to learn sometime," Jamie commented.

Kess beamed, "Well you have come to the right person. But you should probably start on an acoustic, easier to get the basics down."

"Oh I love the sound of an acoustic guitar," Jamie replied.

"John has one, I'm sure he'd let you borrow it to learn until you get your own. He doesn't play it much anymore; he concentrates most on his bass. But he is amazing on the guitar, and he has the sweetest voice, I absolutely melt when he starts to sing."

"You are so in love," Jamie laughed.

Kess blushed, "What can I say? He's the best."

Jamie bit her lip and sat down with Kess, "So….I really like Peter," she blurted, "He's like no other guy I've ever known. It's so weird, I haven't had feelings like this before."

"Aw, I knew it," Kess squealed, "I mean, with what you said last night, and all. I am so happy for you!"

Jamie looked down, "Well, I don't know if he feels the same though. I…don't really know how to tell or anything like that."

"Girl, you are in the right place," Kess put her guitar into its case and stretched out on her stomach, "The best advice I can give you is to just be honest with him and yourself from the very beginning and to just do what feels natural. You guys worked on the car today right? So just do more things like that, work on your homework, talk about class. Just the same sort of things that you do with me, establish a relationship with him and then if he really likes you, things will just work out." She smiled and giggled a little, "But I'm pretty sure you won't have to wait long. I've known Peter for almost a year and a half now and believe me. He has never looked at any girl the way he looks at you."

Jamie smiled and felt her heart rise in her throat, "Really?"

"Oh definitely," Kess replied, "And why wouldn't he? I'm surprised more guys haven't tried to ask you out, although, seeing you with Peter may have made them think twice. He is a pretty imposing guy."

"That's for sure," Jamie laughed, "But I like it. He's so different from all the guys I've known before. I mean, I never felt this way about any of them."

Kess shook her head and smiled, "Ah, young love," she sighed.

Jamie laughed out loud, "Young love, you should talk," she threw a pillow at Kess, "You're the most head-over-heels of them all."

"I cannot deny the truth," Kess laughed and caught the pillow.

The two girls laughed a little more then Jamie slowed down, still smiling, "So hey, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead," Kess said, "Want a peanut?" she offered Jamie a nut from a bowl she grabbed off her bedside table.

"Thanks," Jamie took one and the two munched as Jamie spoke, "So, I have some really weird dreams sometimes. Not weird I guess, but, they wake me up and…and leave me really unnerved."

Kess nodded sympathetically, "I know what you mean. I still have some really disturbing ones. But before I came here and even at the beginning I could barely sleep a night without waking up."

"What did you do to make them stop?"

Kess shrugged, "Well, they haven't completely stopped and probably won't. But what really helped me was, I guess coming to terms with them and what they represented. It's a little confusing and I won't go in to detail now, but accepting where I came from and what I have done has helped them to recede some. I had some dark times in the past and trying to get over those, or at least acknowledge that they no longer control me has made the dreams less severe. What's your dream?"

Jamie thought and scrunched up her face, "It's really vague. I'm just running through this hall and someone is chasing me. Like every bad dream ever, right?" she laughed lightly, "It's hard to explain the feelings I get in it; fear, anger and also…curiosity. I really want to know who is behind me and where I am. It feels so familiar but I can't place it."

Kess frowned and nodded, "You know, it might help to talk to the Professor. And if he decides it's a good idea then you may want to have John look at it. I mean, he can give you a second opinion or let some of the other X-men see it. Or Jean, she's a telepath too."

Jamie nodded, she felt a little relieved to know that she wasn't the only one with such violently real nightmares, "I think I'll talk to him sometime about that. Do you think you could go with me?"

"Absolutely," Kess agreed, "I'm here for you girl," she smiled, "Any day of the year."

Jamie smiled wide, "Thanks, I'm really glad we're friends."

"Me too, Jamie," Kess hugged her, "Next semester we have to make sure we take a class together. Oh and we actually have Monday off, no school, so let's think of something fun to do ok? I hate to waste my days off.

"Hell yes," Jamie grinned, "It'll be awesome. I'll see you at lunch."

"Night Jamie," Kess waved as Jamie went back to her room to go to sleep.

The next day, in History, Jamie couldn't help but daydream about her new life. It was almost an unbelievable change from what she used to know. Even just waking up in a warm, comfy bed was something that used to be a treat but now it was part of her every day. She was also thankful for having a friend in Kess, she didn't have much contact with girls since she spent so much time working odd jobs that most girls wouldn't be caught dead doing or wandering alone through Canada.

Not least of all she thought about Peter. He was so handsome with his rippling muscles and shining blue eyes. They connected so well and it felt so right to be around him, whether or not he felt about her like she felt about him, it was just great to know him. Peter was entirely different from every guy she had ever met, he was helpful and thoughtful, mature and respectful.

"Jamie," Peter said, shaking her from her thoughts, "You ready for lunch?"

"Oh, yeah," Jamie laughed, "Sorry."

At lunch Jamie and Peter found John, Kess and Warren sitting with another girl with a long brown ponytail. "Jamie, this is Kitty," Kess introduced the brunette.

"Hi Jamie!" Kitty said enthusiastically. Jamie could tell this Kitty was quite different from her. "It's so nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you. Sorry I couldn't meet you sooner, I was in France on a mission."

"Hey Kitty." Jamie said with a look at Kess, Kitty had spoken so fast Jamie almost couldn't catch all of it, Kess fought back a smile and shrugged.

"It totally was," Kitty giggled as she ate some frozen yogurt, "And tons of fun, I got to work with Bobby again, he's so smart."

"Better watch out," Ali said as she sat down, "Rogue might hear you."

Kitty rolled her eyes and Jamie got the immediate feeling that she and Ali were not the best of friends. "So are you working in the garage again?" John asked Jamie, sensing the tension and changing the subject.

"Ew the garage?" Kitty said, "It's so dirty there. And the cars are so greasy."

Jamie laughed, "Yeah they are supposed to be."

"Little grease never hurt anybody," Peter agreed making Jamie smile.

The bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period and Jamie hurried off to her next class with everyone else.

That evening Jamie had gone to the training session again with Kess and John and this time she sparred with Jubilee while Kess work with Ali. After a quick change into her wranglers and a red tank Jamie found herself back in the garage discussing the transmission for the GTO with Peter.

"I think that building it in the separate parts will give us a chance to really get to know the machine and to make sure that we have each piece completed," she said, looking over the mainshaft she had begun.

"That sounds like a good idea," Peter agreed, "That way there's less of a chance that something will break off and we'll have to take the whole thing apart."

"Sounds like a plan," Jamie said happily.

"Yup," Peter replied, "Should be fun."

They worked separately for a few minutes under the eye of Scott until Kess brought out a plate of sandwiches followed by Jean who carried a pitcher of water with glasses.

"We thought you could use some nourishment," Jean said, "I didn't see any of you at dinner and you don't want to work on an empty stomach."

"So thoughtful," Scott smiled, "That's why I love you." He gave her a kiss on the cheek as she poured the glasses full of water and handed them out.

Seeing Scott with Jean gave Jamie a different view of him. He could be a little cocky and annoying sometimes but there was more to him than just authority. "Do you remember when we had to gut the cars?" John asked as he took a sandwich. Scott was talking to Jean at the other end of the garage while the students had gathered around the sandwiches.

"That was one hell of a project," Christian said, "I think I still have scars from scratching my arms on the engine."

"That's nothing compared to the scratches you got when we were in China," Kess said nibbling on John's sandwich, "Remember?"

"Do I ever? We were in the most crowded part of Hong Kong I have ever seen," Christian explained to Jamie, "It was Kess, Bobby, and myself. We'd been chasing after some guy from a terrorist group and been separated from Storm and Cyclops. Well, out of nowhere we ran into our target, I guess he had gotten confused in the crowds and he ran into this empty building, I believe it was an old storage building that was under repair, and we followed him up the stairs to the top floor and he jumped across into the window of this other building, right across the alley and I jumped after him. Well apparently his mutation was like Kitty's so he phased through the glass but I crashed through it. Bobby was able to freeze him in place until Cyclops got there but Kess has to help me down the stairs. I felt like an idiot," he laughed.

"Don't feel bad," Kess said, "If it hadn't been for you then Bobby might not have come out of that mission. Christian is telekinetic and before we were separated from Storm and Scott Bobby had jumped after the terrorist, we were on a rooftop, and he misjudged the distance. Christian caught him in mid air as he was falling and was able to bring him back to the roof."

Christian blushed a little, "I was just doing my job."

"And what a good job it was. Besides, you had no way of knowing what that mutant could do."

"These missions sound like dangerous business," Jamie said with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

"Oh they are," Kess said with a look to match her friend's.

John nodded, "But there are fun times too. It's really a great way to get to know people. And we've had some hilarious incidents, even in training."

"That's for sure," Peter agreed, "We could put together a blooper real of all the times that Kitty got stuck, phasing through something."

John snickered, "That's right. Do you remember when we were doing some training exercises in the grove and she went to phase through a thick branch and got stuck? Her legs were kicking out the bottom and her arms were flailing in the air. That was so funny."

Peter laughed along with John, "Or how about when last year's class graduated and Ali fell asleep when she was supposed to be sitting in the back as an usher. She said someone came in the door next to her and when it slammed shut she woke up and her lights went off, it was like a fireworks show while Storm was trying to give her congratulatory speech."

Jamie laughed with the rest of her friends, "Did that really happen?"

"Oh yeah," Christian said, "I was there. If it was anyone but Ali they would have been embarrassed. And you know what; I wouldn't be surprised if all that falling asleep was a lie and she just did it on purpose to liven up the ceremony."

"Alright, breaks over," Scott interrupted them, "Thank you for the food and drink ladies," he said to Kess and Jean.

"Anything for our hard workers," Jean beamed and then she left the garage, followed by Kess after a quick kiss to John.

"So let me see how this mainshaft is coming along Jamie," Scott moved over to inspect the progress of her transmission. He picked up what she had welded so far and inspected it slowly; making Jamie aggravated because she knew it was in perfect shape. "Very nice, you might want to watch the welding on the ends, it looks like it could be a little weak right here, you don't want it to come apart. But a very good job overall."

"Thanks," Jamie said, taking a deep breath. She knew there was nothing wrong with her welding, the ends were perfectly bonded, and even Peter had thought so.

"I'm going to go ahead and take a chance here Jamie, but you're in the class. Welcome to Advanced Auto Mechanics."

"Thanks Scott!" Jamie exclaimed.

John, Christian and Peter clapped for her, "You had in the bag the whole time," Peter said.

"I guess I am pretty awesome," she smiled feeling cocky, "Now let's get back to that welding."

By the end of the session Jamie had finished the mainshaft and was prepping the metal she would use for the countershaft the next time. "We're really moving along," Peter said. He had completed the case and was planning out how he would build the idler shaft.

"We make such a great team," Jamie smiled.

"I couldn't agree more," Peter replied as they put away their tools. He wiped his hands on his white tank nervously, "So, do you maybe want to get some ice cream some time?" he asked awkwardly.

Jamie's heart sang and she was sure everyone in the school could hear it. She bit her lip and blushed bright red, trying to speak as normally as she could, "Yeah sure, that would be great," she replied.

"Awesome," Peter breathed easier, "How about tomorrow after class? Then we can come back and work on the car some more?"

"Absolutely," Jamie agreed, "So I'll see you in the morning?"

"Can't wait," he answered and they went their separate ways to shower.

Before her shower Jamie burst into Kess' room with a huge smile on her face. "What," Kess asked excited, "What is it? Did Peter kiss you? No, no he asked you out didn't he?" Jamie just smiled wider and nodded. "Oh my God!" Kess jumped up from her bed and threw her arms around Jamie, "That's so great, I'm so happy for you! Are you so excited?"

"Oh definitely," Jamie replied, "I'm nervous too, this is all so new. It's almost unreal."

"I know how you feel," Kess sympathized, "It's such a change from before. So where are you guys going? How did he ask you?"

Jamie laughed, she was happy to have a friend she could talk to about girlie things. While Jamie wasn't too girlie she was still very much a woman and liked this new habit of talking to Kess about her life. "Well tomorrow, after classes we're going to get some ice cream. And he just asked if I wanted to get some ice cream with him. He is really shy though, you were definitely right about that. But I like it you know? He's not a sleeze or anything."

"Totally, Pete is such a softie, and he's so old fashioned. God you guys are so cute together," Kess gushed.

"Really?" Jamie smiled, she had never considered herself cute, and definitely never thought of herself in a relationship but she was excited about it.

"Of course, Jamie you don't give yourself enough credit. I know how independent you are and you're so strong. And I was just the same when I first came here and I was so afraid to let someone else be a part of my life, but John convinced me and it was the best choice I ever made. It's really hard to sort of give up that that singular side of yourself, but once you do, you'll never regret it. I'm stronger now than ever."

Jamie gave Kess a warm hug, "I am so happy I know you Kess. This is just the best day." After Jamie finished her homework and took a shower that night she slept soundly all the way through. Apparently the friendship of Kess and the feelings she had for Peter were turning out to be a good guard against her nightmares.

"Class I would like to make a quick announcement," Scott said as everyone finished taking their seats, "Your new classmate Jamie is now a part of the Advanced Auto Mechanics Class." Jamie smiled confidently as the class clapped for her, all but Matt who threw a dirty look in her direction.

"So you'll continue working with Peter on the GTO," Scott continued, "And your assignments will be the same as the regular class' but with some extra side projects."

Jamie nodded and Scott started to lecture the class on drive trains. "I don't think Matt was too happy for you," Peter whispered smiling.

"Well isn't that just too bad?" Jamie whispered back in mock sincerity.

Peter snickered softly, "So are we still on for this afternoon?"

"Definitely," Jamie smiled, "Can't wait."

Peter had thought that after he asked Jamie out he would be even more nervous than he had been before but he wasn't, he felt so natural around her in every way. She had a really tough and rugged personality but at the same time she had a calming effect on him, she made him feel like no other girl ever had. He had a few butterflies in his stomach but they weren't so much nervous as they were excited. During class Peter spent very little time listening to Scott and much more time thinking about Jamie. He couldn't get her off his mind and it seemed like only a few minutes later that the bell rang and he was walking back to the main building with her.

"What'd you have to do to get into the Advanced Class? Make some sort of deal with Scott? Hopefully nothing Jean'll be jealous about I hope," Matt said from behind them.

Jamie whirled around, instantly angry, eyes flaming, "I think you need to mind your business before that tongue of yours gets you in trouble," she growled.

"Watch what you say Jamie," he replied as coolly as he could, "Wouldn't want someone else to hear you talk like that. You might get yourself kicked out."

Peter saw Jamie's claws slowly slide out of her knuckles and he stepped in, placing a hand on her shoulder that kept her calm but also warned her that this was not the right time to fight. "Matt, you're pushing the last button. Just because you're jealous that Jamie is in the class you failed to get into twice, doesn't mean you need to go around acting like an asshole. I'd watch it if I were you."

Matt ignored Peter, staring Jamie straight in the eyes, "Having someone fight your battles for you? I thought you were a real mutant."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Jamie's claws slide back into her fists faster than they had slipped out and in the flash of an eye she had Matt's wrists crisscrossed behind his back and she was speaking in a low, menacing voice into his ear, "I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention," she began, "I don't like you, and the people I don't like, don't usually come out in one piece if they push their luck and cross me to many times. So right now, you're at the very last step to making me mad. I suggest you think real hard about the next thing you say."

Matt yanked himself away from Jamie as she stood back and crossed her arms. "You are so out of this school," he snarled, "The Professor will love to hear about you."

"Having someone else fight your battles for you?" Jamie asked in a patronizing voice. Matt was so angry he couldn't speak, he stood there fuming for a moment, realizing that he would seem weak if he went to Xavier and stormed off with his friends.

"I think that's the end of that," Jamie said, clearly proud of herself though still pissed off by Matt's comments.

"I hope so," Peter replied, "I don't want to seem like I'm agreeing with Matt. But you might want to be careful what you do or say when there are a lot of people around. Professor Xavier has a strange way of knowing everything that's going on around here. I just wouldn't want you to get in any trouble. They might take you out of Auto."

Jamie signed, "Alright, I'll try to be more careful. I hate rules, they so rain on my parade." She knew that Peter didn't mean to hurt her by his words and she knew he was right. She was aware that sometimes her temper got the best of her. She had always tried to control her angry side but sometimes it just didn't work and that bothered her a lot about herself. She entered History in a much more somber mood than she had woken up in that morning.

Peter could sense Jamie's frustration and he was afraid that he had caused it. The last thing he wanted to do was screw things up with the most amazing girl before they had even started. As Ororo talked about the important scientific contributions of the ancient Egyptians Peter mentally scolded himself for telling Jamie what he had and promised himself that he would make it up to her.

After having some time to clear her mind and focus on class Jamie felt better. She knew she had issues with her anger but she could at least control how it affected the rest of her day. This was supposed to be a great day, she was going on her very first date with the coolest guy she had ever met. With that on her mind it didn't take long for her to be smiling again.

"So what do you think is for lunch?" she asked happily as they walked to the cafeteria.

"Let's see, it's Thursday so I'm going to go with…I have no clue," Peter laughed.

"Smells like tacos, sour cream, tomatoes, rice and peanut butter cookies," Jamie said after a moment.

Peter stared at her, "You can smell that from here?" he asked, "Oh I forgot, you're a super woman."

Jamie giggled, "I wouldn't say that, I just can do thing better than others."

"You are something else," Peter grinned and opened the door for her.

Jamie had been completely accurate on the menu and as they sat down with John and Kess Peter complemented her on her amazing nose. "Just fantastic," he smiled.

"What is?" Kess asked as she ate.

"Jamie could smell what was for lunch from Ororo's classroom," Peter answered.

"No way. From that far?" John said, "I doubt even Logan could do that."

"What can I say, I have the nose of a blood hound," Jamie laughed.

The group ate and chatted lightly about classes until Kess spoke up, "Also, we're going to Washington today. So we won't be back until Sunday. Make sure you think up some great plans for the four of us on Monday Jamie, that's the mission I'm assigning you."

"Oh right, have fun," Peter said, "Give the President my regards."

Jamie was fascinated by that fact that Peter knew the President, she was getting antsy to go on her own mission some day. After lunch they separated for classes and finished out the day. As Jamie returned to her room she heard Kess moving around at the other end of their bathroom.

"Hey, aren't you leaving soon?" Jamie asked as she walked in.

"Oh yeah," Kess said shoving things into a black duffle bag, "I'm just making sure that John has everything he needs. Oh! Also," she hurried into Jamie's room, "I set out what I think you should wear. I know you're just going for ice cream so it's really basic and very you. So we have one of the new pairs of jeans here, the one with a few holes in it so it's more informal. Then this army green wraparound top, it comes down a little in front so it's sexy but really casual. And your army green chucks. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Jamie laughed, "Anything else I should remember?"

"Just be yourself," Kess hugged her, "Also, no baseball caps. I'll see you in a few days."

"Good luck, be safe, and don't hurt anyone, too bad" Jamie called as Kess hurried back to her room.

"Oh Jamie, if I thought about staying safe on a mission, I'd never get anything done," Kess called back.

Kess sat in the back of the jet in her X-men sweat pants and a red camisole. She put on her black x-men jacket and yawned, ready for the short flight to Washington. As they neared the landing strip Ororo stood up and began to brief the group on their mission. "Tonight is your own," she stated, "You can go out but there's curfew at 11 so make sure you're back in your rooms by then. Ali and Kess you're sharing a room. John, you and Warren will be with Scott and Kurt. Myself and Jean will be in the middle room. We'll be up at 6 to get ready and head to our stations. Kess, you and I will arrive at the White House at 7 to be ready to take our places on the platform. John, you and Scott are going straight to the Lincoln Memorial and there will be an agent there to help escort you to a room where you can set up camp. Warren, you'll go with them and that same agent will take you up to the roof where you can be in position. Remember, if for any reason Kess or myself is compromised it's your job is to get the President to safety. Ali, Kurt, and Jean you'll wait until 8, then take separate modes of transportation to the Lincoln Memorial. Sound good?"

There was a menagerie of replies, all positive and Scott began to take the jet down to earth. "Are you excited to be running your very first mission?" Kess asked, resting her head on John's shoulder.

"Well I'm not really running it, but I am excited," he replied and ran his fingers through her long hair.

"You're going to do so well. Scott's lucky to have you," she mused, "But I'm luckier."

"As long as you're aware of it," John said jokingly.

"Oh you," Kess smiled and lightly punched his stomach as they got up and gathered their things.

The group exited the jet and Scott put it in a hangar at the small, private airport they had landed at. Separate cabs took them to their hotel, as soon as they left the hangar they were undercover. They didn't want anyone watching them to figure out they were mutants. It wouldn't look good for the President. Jean and Scott took one cab, acting as a couple on vacation; Ororo and Kurt took on a similar disguise while Ali, Warren, Kess and John acted as a group of friends on a fall break vacation. "At least we don't have to room with Jean again," Ali said as they drove through the late afternoon streets of Washington DC.

"Aw she's not that bad," Kess said.

"Are you kidding, she made me go outside very time I wanted a cigarette."

"Well we were in a non-smoking room," Kess laughed, "And don't forget who booked those rooms," she nodded in Warren's direction.

Warren hung his head a little, "I thought it might get her to stop," he said.

Ali planted a kiss on Warren's cheek, "You might as well just give up," she said, "I won't quit for anyone."

"You two are a trip," John smiled as their cab pulled up to the hotel. He grabbed his bag and Kess' and escorted her upstairs to the room she was sharing with Ali. "So let's change and then Warren and I will come get you and we can see about some dinner. Sound good?"

"As always. I'll see you soon," Kess stood on her toes to kiss his nose. John was 6'1" and compared to Peter not tall at all but he was the perfect size for Kess, she fit against him so well he could rest his chin on the top of her head.

"He says I'm a trip," Ali snickered as she and Kess changed clothes, "But you're the one who's practically married already."

"Right," Kess laughed as she pulled a black skirt over her tiger leggings, "Married. That's a funny joke."

"Oh please Kess," Ali said and wrapped a dark grey sweater around the green tank that hung over her left shoulder, "If he asked you this second you'd say yes."

"Ali, I am 18 years old. What are you doing talking about crazy things like that?" Kess slipped a black turtle neck over her head and strapped on a pair of black flats completing her wild look.

Ali sat on the bed and pulled on her black boots, lacing them up as she spoke, "You're right," she said, "I don't know what's come over me since I've been with Warren, I'm all romantic and shit."

Kess laughed to herself, she was sure that Ali was not what most people would consider romantic but she had seen the change in her friend. She thought about what Dazzler had been like before, such a tough, mean girl. She had no respect for anyone but even now she was becoming more responsible and mature. Kess couldn't wait to see that happen in Jamie's life. There was something so maturing about being a relationship. She knew that from experience, being with John had made her stronger and fuller in places where she had been empty and lacking. He was the one that had convinced her to stay at the Institute, it was the first time she listened to someone else's opinion and taken into account something aside from her own thoughts and feelings. She smiled softly to herself and wondered what Jamie was doing as she waited for John and Warren.

Jamie stood in front of the full length mirror staring at her reflection. She had changed into the clothes Kess had laid out and felt very good about her appearance. She had also chosen not to wear a baseball cap, according to Kess' wishes, and was now wondering what she should do with her hair, wishing her stylish friend was not so far away in Washington. She had tried putting it up, sticking bobby pins in it, even a head band but now she was sitting with unruly pieces falling in her eyes. As she was about to try another hair clip she found in Kess' room Peter knocked on her door. She spritzed a little of the lavender body spray Kess had let her borrow around her and hurried to open the door.

"Hi," Peter said. He stared in awe at Jamie, she wasn't dressed up but she looked amazing. Her outfit was flirty and cute but it held her own strong personality too. She smelled amazing as inhaled the scent of her freshly washed hair and the hint of lavender. "You look beautiful," he breathed.

Jamie blushed, "You don't look so bad yourself chief," she said. In fact, Peter looked just as gorgeous as he thought she looked. He had a simple red, long sleeved shirt on that hugged tightly to his muscles.

"So, you ready?" he asked, "Oh, this is for you by the way," he handed her a single orange lily.

"Oh Peter thanks," Jamie said and took the flower, "I've never seen orange ones before."

"Well Ororo has some gardens and she can do amazing things with flowers. I hope she doesn't miss it," he replied and followed her into her room as she looked for a glass she could put them in.

"Ah ha, a thief I see," she laughed and set it up in a small vase she found in the bathroom, "Thank you so much Peter." She reached her arms around his neck and gave him a quick hug.

Peter almost fainted at her touch, she was so warm and her skin was smooth to the touch. She felt so good against his chest, he didn't want her to let go. "You're welcome," he whispered, "So, how about that ice cream?"

"Yes sir," Jamie smiled and grabbed a jacket. She patted Peter's back and headed out the door leaving him to follow her to the garage.

"So John, when are you going to set me up in a meeting with your dad?" Ali asked as the four students sat around a table eating sushi.

"I talked to his assistant last week and he said that dad would be taking a trip to the City next month," John replied. He put his hand on Kess' knee glaring at a table of guys near them that kept casting unwelcome glances at his girlfriend. "If he has time then you can talk to him."

"Awesome," Ali smiled, "Maybe then we can get some shows booked. I think the band needs a motivational boost, they're being so lame. You know, you two should play with us some time," she nodded to Kess and John, "I think we could use some new sounds."

"I like it," Kess said, "Just let us know and we can come by."

John paid for their food and the two couples walked in the cool, fall air back to the hotel. They passed a little park a block away from their building, "Want to stop for a little bit?" John asked.

Warren yawned, "I think we're going to head back up, it's almost 8 and I want to do some work."

"I'm going with him," Ali winked, "But I doubt there will be much work getting done."

Warren let Ali lead him back to the hotel as John pulled Kess close, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Kess let her head rest against his chest, loving the feel of his soft blue sweater against her cheek. They walked through the park in silence for a few minutes, the sun starting to set and the sky turning a slight pink. In the middle of the park there was a big fountain and two little girls chased each other around it. The autumn trees had started to become bare and much of the ground was covered by red and brown leaves that crunched under their feet as they walked.

The pair walked in silence as a cool wind blew around them, swirling some of the leaves on the ground and making Kess huddle closer to John's warm body. "Cold?" he asked and smiled.

"Not anymore," she replied.

The sky darkened further and as the temperature dropped John decided they should return to their hotel. "We can do some work if you want," he said.

"Oh yes, that's just what I was hoping for," Kess replied sarcastically but with a contented smile. Any time she spent with him was good time.

They walked slowly back to the hotel, taking their time in the frosty Washington air. "This is like when we were in France last month," John said, "That was probably the best mission I think we ever had."

"Why's that?" Kess asked and looked up into his light blue eyes, "You almost didn't get out of that burning building."

"Oh please, that fire never had anything on me," he laughed, "I just mean that it was so nice being on a mission with just you."

Kess snickered, "And Scott and Jean."

"Scott plus Jean equals us being alone. You know how they are," John replied, "And we had some nice down time. I'd never gotten to just walk through the streets of Paris. And you looked so adorable in that beret. It suited you so well."

"Aren't you just the sweetest," Kess remarked, "You're right, that was a beautiful time. The weather was gorgeous and the company was so good."

"And the food," John smiled, "Talk about amazing."

"Ah the food," Kess said in a tone similar to John's, "Absolutely unreal."

The two laughed as they made their way upstairs, Ali and Warren were nowhere to be seen in either room or the lobby, "Well I wonder why," John asked with a smirk.

"I'm not complaining," Kess winked and sat down on the bed she shared with Ali.

"Temptress," John accused.

"Oh I only want to work on some homework," she replied laughing, "Grab your books, I need help going over the mastering process."

"And you have come to the guru of Music Administration," John bowed overdramatically.

Kess tossed her notebook at him, "Sit down guru, I can't see past your ego." John caught the notebook, smiling and sat down next to Kess and began to go over their homework.

Peter caught up to Jamie at the stairs, "So how'd you hear about the Institute?" he asked, trying to make conversation as they walked.

"Storm and Nightcrawler located me in Canada, I'm not sure how they did it. But then the Professor got in touch with me and I hopped on a plane for New York," she replied and opened the door into the garage, "So what car shall we take?"

"Well, if you don't mind," Peter said as he led her to the far end of the garage, "I thought we'd take a classic. It's sort of a date car, I don't know, I've always had a special place in my heart for it." The last car in the garage was a pale blue 1965 Thunderbird convertible.

Jamie gasped happily, "Oh what a gorgeous car," she said, "I definitely approve."

"Great," he said and opened her door, "My lady." He shut Jamie's door then got into the driver's seat, "So," he began as he started the car, "Favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Butter pecan," Jamie smiled, "Nothing like cold ice cream during a pleasant evening. What about you?"

"Pralines and cream," he replied as he drove through the rural county. Trees passed as they rolled into a small town, the opposite the direction of New York City. "So tell me about Canada," Peter said. Being on this date with Jamie was so comfortable. He had been nervous about asking her because he wanted to take things slowly but this was absolutely perfect. They were having a nice time in a great car going for something as simple as ice cream. It was the relationship of his dreams; he still couldn't believe Jamie was real.

"Well, I was never really in one place for very long. I spent most of my time moving around," she replied enjoying the cool breeze in her hair and the gorgeous man next to her.

"Why'd you move so much?" Peter turned the car into the parking lot of a small, old-fashioned looking ice cream shop.

"In all honesty," Jamie said, "I'm not sure." Peter opened her door again, it was weird for her to be treated with such chivalry, it almost made her laugh but she was thankful to be spending time with Peter. "I just never really felt like I was in the right place. I was always looking for something else that would make me feel…content I guess. I didn't find it until now though."

"I see, well I know that I'm glad you came here. This place is much better for it," Peter told her.

Jamie laughed, "Hey now, I already agreed to go on the date, you don't have to butter me up."

Peter smiled, "You got me, but it's true, Kess really likes you too."

"Well, I'm definitely glad I came here, Kess is amazing…and you're not so bad either." They walked up to the window of the ice cream shop and ordered. Jamie got a butter cream cone and Peter chose a coke float with vanilla ice cream.

Peter parked the thunderbird next to an open pasture where horses roamed, snacking lazily on oats and water. "So tell me more about the garage you worked in," Peter said.

Jamie licked her ice cream happily. The scent of autumn leaves and pumpkin pastures tickled her nose and she felt like she was in a movie, "Well it wasn't anything special, just a basic mechanics shop. I showed up one morning and I overheard one of the mechanics arguing with a customer about the engine of their car. The customer said that there was a problem with the spark plugs but the mechanic was trying to explain that it was cooling system. Well I could tell by just the sound of the car that it was the spark plugs. While they were arguing I just sort of looked under the hood, they hadn't seen me yet, and one of the spark plugs was covered in oil. So I knew exactly what was wrong with it. The customer was happy after that but the mechanic was not as thrilled, he got fired." She smiled but felt a little guilty.

"He got fired?" Peter asked incredulously, "Oh my God, well I guess it worked out for you."

"Yeah, I mean it wasn't my intention to get him fired but he obviously didn't know his stuff. They would lose a lot more customers if he had stayed on. But anyway, the manager hired me and I worked there for just about ten months. It was a fun time."

"I bet," Peter said, sipping his float, "Did you have any nice cars come in?"

"Oh yes," Jamie said, starting in on the cone, "I had been there about three weeks and this gorgeous black, '57 Mercedes SL300 Roadster rolled in. I nearly had a heart attack. The guy was driving across Canada and has some trouble with the heater, we fixed it really quick but that thing was sick."

"I have only seen one of those in my life, at a car show in Moscow when I was younger, and it was the most beautiful thing I've seen to date…well next to you," Peter winked feeling much more confident around Jamie.

Jamie blushed, "You are such a sweet talker," she said. She thought back to what Kess had said about being herself, knowing she'd do her friend proud because she had never felt more like herself than she did right now with Peter. "So what about you," she asked, "What's the story on Colossus?"

"Well it begins way back in Siberia, when a beautiful woman gave birth to an even more beautiful baby," he began jokingly.

"Oh my," Jamie rolled her eyes.

Peter laughed, "No, I'm kidding. I grew up on my family's little farm in Russia. It's very secluded but so beautiful. I miss my family a lot, especially my mother's pumpkin vareniky. They're dumplings with pumpkin and cheese and other seasonings."

"They sound delicious," Jamie said, "I bet your mother is a wonderful cook."

"She is," Peter agreed, "What about yours? I mean, I know that most people at the Institute didn't have the family that I did, and from what it sounds like you didn't grow up in a conventional situation, but do you remember anything like that?"

Jamie shook her head, licking the ice cream from her fingers, "Nope, and I don't feel too bad about it. I mean, I can't miss something I didn't have right? But I bet if I had a mother as amazing as yours sounds, I wouldn't be able to forget her."

Peter beamed, everything about Jamie was so right. From the way her jeans clung to her killer curves and the way her green shirt dipped low and brought out the color of her eyes to the things she said that were unlike anything he'd ever heard a girl say. The sun was beginning to go down and the light glinted off her sun-kissed skin and hair making her look like a badass angel sitting across from him. "I think my mother would approve very much of you," he nodded happily.

Jamie smiled, truly touched by his words, "That is nice, Peter," she said, "I really hope so. She sounds a like a woman who's approval is worth having." The thought of Peter with his family brought a warmth and softness to Jamie's heart that she hadn't known before. She felt like she was already becoming a part of his life, and she was right, more than she knew.

Peter slurped the last of his coke float through the straw and they decided to take a short walk through the aging town as the sky started to turn towards dusk. "So I guess we won't be working on that car," Peter said.

"That's ok for tonight," Jamie said, "I have some history homework that I need to finish so…I should probably get on that."

"Agreed," Peter said, "Ororo's classes are probably my toughest but it's all worth it, she really makes me feel like I'm learning."

"I've noticed that too," Jamie said as the breeze blew her short hair around her face, "She's such a great teacher."

They walked in silence for a few minutes and Peter took a deep breath. He wanted to touch Jamie again, he just loved the feel of her skin against his and the warmth of her body. He scratched his back then lightly set his arm across her shoulders, hoping that she would want the same as he did.

At first the feel of Peter's arm on her brought back memories of Matt but Jamie instantly pushed those away and enjoyed the pressure of his muscles against hers. She moved a little closer, not sure of how she should react and let her head rest against his chest. She was just the right size for him; her head coming up to his chin making it easy for her position it against him.

"Well, it looks like we should head back," Peter said after a little longer. The sky was starting to turn a light pink and the evening wasn't far off.

"Alright," Jamie agreed, "This is a really nice little town."

"Yeah I like to come here sometimes, it's a lot less busy than New York City," he replied as they headed back to the car.

"I haven't been there yet but I believe you, I've seen it on TV and it looks pretty hectic," Jamie smiled, moving a little closer though her posture was slightly uncomfortable. She had no idea what to do with a man's arm around her shoulder, but she was beginning to think she liked having Peter so close. He was so strong; she could feel his rock hard muscles against her cheek.

"I think you'd like it. I love it, but sometimes it's just nice to get back to simpler country," he said and opened her door again.

"That's part of what I liked the most about being able to roam freely in Canada," Jamie thought out loud, "I could hike across fields or pastures and then make my way into the city and see the life there. I don't know which I liked better, it was nice to have both options to even each other out."

"I can relate to that," Peter said as he drove them back to the mansion, "I could get pretty restless on the farm, I liked the trips to Moscow that we would take every so often, it broke up the monotony."

"But working on a farm must have been fun," Jamie said. She loved hard work, especially outside, she couldn't imagine it being boring.

"And it was," Peter said, "I don't mean to make it sound like I didn't love the farm, but sometimes, you know, change is a nice thing."

"I gotcha," Jamie laughed.

They arrived back at the Institute at around seven o'clock and they walked up the stairs laughing about another funny story Peter had told Jamie about one of his missions. Matt passed them on his way down the stairs and shot a dirty glare at them. Jamie moved closer to Peter and held onto his arm as they walked. At her touch Peter felt a shiver go up his spine; it made him feel much better to know that she was initiating some of their contact. It showed him that she liked having him around and having his arms around her so he pulled her close as they walked down the hall.

"I had a great time tonight Jamie," Peter said, "You're a pretty fantastic girl. I'd really like to go out again. Maybe for dinner sometime or we can get Chinese and eat it in?"

"That sounds great," Jamie said, as they reached her door and Peter's arms dropped, taking her hand in his, "I had an amazing time too. You're really great to be around." She silently kicked herself for not telling him how she really felt, she just didn't know what to do yet exactly. But she was trying her best and it seemed to be paying off.

"So I'll see you in the morning?" Peter said, dropping her hands.

"Definitely," Jamie smiled. Peter started to turn away but Jamie quickly pulled him into a hug. She wrapped her long, beautifully shaped arms around his neck and could feel his steely abs against her stomach and she felt so warm and happy inside.

Peter planted a kiss on the side of Jamie's cheek and smiled wide, "See you soon Jamie," he said.

"Night," she whispered after him.

Kess rose at 6 to her alarm clock and tried her best to wake up Ali. After failing at that she brushed her teeth and dressed in the black skirt and white blouse she was wearing as a Secret Service agent, she tied her tie around her neck and slipped into the comfortable black shoes, tossing the black jacket onto the chair as she tried again to rouse Ali from sleep. Unhappily, her fellow mutant finally got up and got dressed.

While Kess was braiding her hair Ali was going through her clothes, "I don't like having to have my wardrobe picked out for me," Ali mused grumpily.

"I think you might look a little suspicious in your normal outfit," Kess replied, "Besides it's just for a day."

"Still," Ali said putting on the nice jeans and red blouse, "I'd feel much more comfortable in combat boots and a tank."

"Wouldn't we all?" Kess asked and tossed Ali her red pumps, "Alright, I'll see you later."

"Bye," Ali waved, still yawning.

Kess hurried downstairs to the lobby where she met Ororo, looking very regal in a high-necked purple dress, her hair laying calmly across her shoulders. "Very nice," Ororo said after looking Kess over, "You look just like you're supposed to. And here are our other cohorts," she smiled as Scott, John and Warren came out of the elevator.

"Comlinks on?" Scott asked quietly, receiving nods in reply, "Good, then let's get going."

John smiled to Kess, he loved seeing her dressed so professionally, she looked amazing in anything she wore. The two groups parted as Kess and Ororo's taxi took them to the White House. Kess had been there before on other missions but it still dazzled her to see the home of the President. They were rushed inside where Kess took her place with three other Secret Service members that would be accompanying the President on stage while Ororo mingled with other guests, many of whom she knew very well. As the clock ticked closer to 9 there was nothing left for them to do but wait.

John was eager to get his first mission as a coordinator started and while he sat in the taxi with Scott, running his hands over the bag all their equipment was in he started to imagine any scenario that might happen.

"Don't be nervous," Scott said, breaking John's thoughts, "You were born for this. And believe me, it goes so fast you won't even know what happened, it's all reaction and you've been in the field before so you know what you're doing."

"Thanks man," John replied, feeling more confident. He looked in the rearview mirror and could see Warren in the taxi behind them, he had his wings strapped down so he looked normal though he would undo the straps that kept them captive as soon as he reached the roof of the building they were going to. The taxis pulled up near the Lincoln Memorial as people were already starting to gather for the President's speech. John and Warren followed Scott inside where they met a Secret Service agent who escorted them to their separate stations.

At 7:15 Kess was sitting in the President's limo with a male agent and the President himself. "So I hope your classes are going well Ms. Creed," the President was saying.

"Oh absolutely sir, I'm excited to be graduating soon," Kess replied, keeping calm. In the midst of a battle she was completely cool, doing the things that came most natural to her, but sitting in the limo waiting for the action to begin was torture. John was much better at these diplomatic things, she thought, but she always seemed to be chosen as the person closest to the target they were protecting, giving her the most contact with that person and also putting pressure on her as a defensive fighter.

"Have you thought about college at all?" the President continued, "Harvard is a lovely place, you know."

"I believe it sir," Kess smiled, "But I will probably begin taking college level courses with the Professor, I can't leave the most important job I have."

"Truly stated," the President nodded, "We certainly wouldn't want you to go anywhere."

As they exited the car, Kess spotted Ororo already taking a seat on the stage and she tested the air with her tongue, sensing Ali's familiar cigarette smoke in the crowd along with Jean's perfume. Knowing her teammates were near made her feel secure. She escorted the President up the stage with the three other agents to her left and behind her. She positioned herself at the right corner of the platform with a clear view of the President and the crowd in front of her. A bell tolled 9 o'clock somewhere near and she could feel the hum of the electric video cameras turn on and start taping.

"Suspicious figure in the front right quadrant," said a voice in her ear that she recognized as John. Kess had put sunglasses on in the car and she turned her gaze to the area that had been specified. In a split second she had identified the figure, it was a familiar face, a mutant they had seen while on a mission back in New York. The mutant had his hat pulled down low over his face but Kess could still sense the cold green eyes that she knew were hiding there. She kept an eye on the figure and could see Jean moving close behind him, having gotten the same message from John in her ear.

For the first twenty minutes things went smoothly as the President spoke about what the new administration was planning on doing as far as their environmental program. As he outlined a plan that was based around the implementation of a new sewer system they stage started to rumble. Kess could see a smirk on the face of the green eyed mutant and she put the pieces together. He was a known member of an underground group of mutants that made their home in the sewers, obviously this new program would disrupt his way of life and he was not about to let that happen.

The stage moved more and more and Scott's voice echoed in her ear. "Move the President to the safe room Kess and stay there, we'll keep you updated, there's more figures gathering closer to the stage, might be an ambush, repeat, might be an ambush.

The President was losing his balance and people in the crowd were starting to shout. Kess grabbed the President's hand and took him to the safety of the room below the platform. She closed off the opening back to the surface and listened carefully to what was happening.

"There's some sort of light show going on," she could hear John saying, "Ororo is gone, she's in the crowd leading a Service member through the crowd, heading towards the middle, it looks like that's where the operation is centered. Jean has apprehended the figure from front right quadrant," Kess nodded, she knew that green-eyed mutant must have been involved somehow.

"Give me more on the light show, anything hazardous to the President?" Kess asked over her comlinks.

"Negative," said John, "It began with a few images of a lion swallowing an elephant, obviously that stands for the President's party being defeated or taken over, then Dazzler interjected with her own light show. Totally obscured the images-"

John's voice was cut off when Kess heard a stomping on the trap door above her, "Alright, let's get you somewhere better," she told the President and helped him crawl through another opening that led to a small room, where there were a few weapons he could use if Kess' defense failed, but she had no worry about that.

There continued to be pounding on the door, it sounded like two people. Kess untied her braid and as she walked closer to the door her body changed into its serpentine form. Her skin turned a dark emerald color with diamond patterns twisting across her back and arms, her teeth elongated into fangs and she felt a slight pain when her skeleton thinned and made itself more flexible. Her long hair turned into snakes and her eyes glittered a golden yellow as she waited for the fight. "Possible enemies attempting to enter the safe room," she whispered over her comlink, "Tell Angel to be ready."

"Will do," said John's voice completely in control, "Stay safe Medusa."

As his last words hung in the air the trap door broke open and two mutants dropped inside. Medusa attacked immediately. She knew both of them; one was Lady Luck, a mutant with powers similar to Dazzlers though the lights and electricity she created had a form she could control, making them appear as lions, snakes or other animals usually. The second mutant was Scotch; she knew that Dazzler had met him before though she had never fought him. Before Scotch had a chance to stand up straight she had already sprawled him out on the floor with a strong kick to his stomach. As he sat dazed Lady Luck lunged at Medusa but she dodged that attack, spinning around and aiming a dropkick at her legs. Scotch was up by then and Medusa had to keep her balance while trying to fight both of them in hand-to-hand. Scotch was able to get a hold on her arm and pulled her backwards, giving his partner a good shot at her. But the snakes that Medusa was famous for started to plant poisonous bites all over his face and neck. Scotch cried out in pain and Medusa took that moment to break free of his grip and continue fighting Lady Luck. She sent a kick at Lady Luck's head which knocked her down then one last punch knocked her out. The mutant woman lay in a crumpled pile, with a black eye forming while Scotch moaned in pain touching the tender bites on his face.

"Threat neutralized," Kess said, breathing heavily, over her comlink, "Send back up to collect the bodies."

"Roger, that's my girl," she could hear John smile on the other end of her comlink.

Jamie woke up still feeling the happiness that had wrapped around her heart the night before. She couldn't help smiling as she brushed her teeth and put on her wranglers and grey tank. On her way to class the morning smelled amazing, the sun seemed brighter and she could hear the birds from seven miles away, literally.

Peter had woken up in a mood almost identical to Jamie's. He hummed to himself as he showered and didn't even realize that he had skipped breakfast as he jogged to the garage for class.

"Aren't we happy today," Logan growled as he walked up behind Peter.

"Hey Logan," Pete said, "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm…teaching," he muttered, "One-eye's gone and no one else here knows a brake pad from a pancake."

Peter laughed, "You don't sound too excited."

"I'm not a teacher," Logan grumbled lowly as they entered the classroom.

Peter took his seat next to Jamie, beaming in her direction. When she had first heard the door open and seen Peter and Logan enter she had been focused on Logan, she hadn't thought about who might be subbing while Scott was gone and she wasn't too excited about who it was. But then she saw Peter coming toward her and she decided to let her animosity with Logan go, for right now at least.

"Good morning," Peter said brightly.

"Morning," Jamie replied.

"Alright class," Logan began, "I know you were all looking forward to a study hall but we're going to do a little work before I let you go off and daydream while you pretend to look like you're working. First, we're going to have a pop quiz on motorcycles."

Matt groaned, "But we haven't studied motorcycles, we're only on cars for right now."

"Well I hope you've been reading ahead," Logan retorted, "Ok, first question. What sort of brakes do the majority of bikes have?" The class was silent, they weren't due to start learning about motorcycles until the end of the year and it would only be a small introduction. "Anyone?" Logan asked.

"Disc brakes," Jamie said from the back of the room with a slight tone of defiance in her voice.

Logan locked eyes with her for a moment, his opinion of her improving slightly with her knowledge of motorcycles. "Correct," he said, "Next question. What is the lean method of turning known as?"

"Countersteering," Jamie stated and sat back in her chair, "That's when the rider goes into a lean on a turn and turns the handlebars of the bike in the opposite direction of the turn."

"Right again," Logan said, his mood slightly improving, "How many cylinders can a gasoline powered engine have and what sort of transmission does it take?"

"From 1 to 8 cylinders," Jamie answered, "And they go with a manual, five or six-speed sequential transmission."

"If you're going to let her answer all the questions why did you even come to the class?" Matt complained.

Logan glared in his direction, "Fine bub, what's another name for standard or street bikes?" Matt searched his mind for some kind of answer but couldn't come up with anything and chose to stay silent. "That's what I thought," Logan sneered.

"The answer is naked bikes," Jamie stared right at Matt when she answered.

"Well I can see the rest of you would much rather sit here and do nothing so go ahead and take your study hall," Logan finished, "I'd better see all of you at your training sessions too, no more skipping."

"I think you made quite an impression on Logan," Peter whispered to Jamie as they took out books and started reading their assignment for the weekend. Logan had stepped outside though he kept the door open so he could still technically be in the classroom but also smoking his cigar.

"What makes you say that?" Jamie asked, she still didn't like Logan too much but she was beginning to warm to him a little though she didn't consider him a friend or ally.

"In his own way he just told Matt that he thought you were about a thousand times more skilled," Peter answered, "Logan's a tough nut to crack so you have to look at the little things with him."

Jamie nodded, she could relate to that, she didn't always know how to show her feelings very well; she might have more in common with Logan than just mutation. "I'll remember that," she said. They finished their study hall and the rest of the day seemed to fly by quickly.

As they were leaving Algebra Peter said, "So Jamie, do you still want to do a little training with me?"

"Absolutely!" Jamie said, "Can we go right now?"

Peter laughed a little, "Sure, let's just change first and then I'll come by your room."

Jamie hurried off to her room and put on the exercise outfit Kess had given her. She was so excited to work out again, with her date yesterday she hadn't gone to the training session and she was ready to really work her body.

Peter knocked on her door like promised and the two of them found a small, aerobics room downstairs. They warmed up, Peter helping Jamie to get her arms stretched and then they began. "I know you've trained with Kess before, so it's going to be just that same sort of thing. We'll start slow and if we both feel comfortable we'll see how far we can push it."

"Got it," Jamie said. She and Peter positioned themselves across from each other, each taking in the other's stance and measuring up their strength and power. Peter couldn't help noticing the way Jamie looked in that tight outfit, it gave her a good range of movement and he took that into account.

Jamie could tell she would be much quicker and more agile than Peter but that a blow from him would probably unbalance her so she would have to be ready to brace herself for that. Peter moved first with a punch that Jamie instantly deflected, using his own momentum to take him off his guard, she dropkicked him and he fell but just to his knees, regaining himself and moving back into an attack. The two fought for the better part of an hour until they were both panting, covered in a healthy sweat. "You were amazing," Peter said. He had never seen someone with as much rugged fighting power but simple grace as Jamie.

"Thanks, you gave me quite a workout," she replied. It was true; Peter was an excellent fighter and had really helped Jamie hone her skill in quickness. He was a big guy which made him deceiving because he was a lot faster than he looked.

"So here's what I was thinking, we go do a little work on the car, shower, change, Chinese, movie," he said as they walked back to their hall.

"I'm thinking that sounds perfect," Jamie smiled, "But instead of a movie do you have any video games?" It had been a long time since she'd played one and she was eager to do so again. Jamie loved video games, she contributed that love to her masculine side but she didn't care.

"Am I Russian?" Peter asked back, "Of course I do. Do you like Need For Speed?"

"Love it," Jamie replied.

"Great, then it's settled," Peter said and they headed straight to the garage. There was no need to change or shower because they would only get dirtier while working on the car.

They each got on a rolling board to look under the car, where the transmission would be installed. "See this bolt here?" Jamie asked pointing to the bolt in question, "It looks pretty worn to me, I think we need to replace it and possibly some of these others before we thing about installing."

"I agree," Peter said, "We had to do a lot of that with the rest of the body, but this bolt is in the worst condition I've seen."

Jamie wheeled herself from under the car and got the necessary tools to fix their problem and they both set to work on fixing the weak bolts. "Much better," Jamie said when they had finished, "Now we don't have to worry about anything falling off during the installation."

"Right, but we still have to have it up to Scott's level," Peter said putting their tools away, "Henry Ford couldn't build a car well enough for Scott."

"Is he really that bad?" Jamie asked filling a bucket with water.

"Is he ever," Peter said, "You want to wash the car?"

"Yep," Jamie said tossing him a sponge.

Peter smiled, "Good plan, Scott wanted us to have them washed before our last project, but that never happened."

They wheeled the car out of the garage and Peter sprayed it down with a hose while Jamie put soap in the bucket and found some towels. Peter sprayed Jamie with the hose while she was looking down and that set her off, "Dude!" she laughed and threw a sponge at him, splashing soapy water all over his blue tank, sticking it to his sculpted abs and muscles, Jamie certainly liked the look of that.

They got back to washing the car, scrubbing every little nook and cranny they could find. Peter watched Jamie, the way she knew her way around the car as if she had built it fascinated him. He could only imagine all the good times they would have. Their first date had been beyond successful and their second was going even better. Peter had wanted to take things slow with Jamie but there was no denying the way he felt about her and what was the point in playing 'the game' if he truly, truly knew that she was for him?

"Jamie," he said a little seriously.

"Yeah?" she stood up from scrubbing the tires. Her hair was falling in her eyes and she had some soap on her cheek that she wasn't aware of, making hers the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

"I have had the more fun with you this week than I have ever had. You're so amazing and you're absolutely beautiful…this might sound really lame, but gah, I was wondering if…you'd be my girlfriend?" he swallowed hard and held his breath.

Jamie's eyes went wide and then her smiled went wider, "Yeah," she said. She never expected him to ask her that or that she would reply so quickly and so surely. She had wanted to let him know how she felt but didn't know how, he had just solved all her problems for her and she couldn't be happier, even if she tried.

"Really?" Peter asked excitedly, letting himself breathe.

"Yeah" she said, "You're the best, Ruskie." she knew that last part sounded awkward but she didn't care, it was more than she could describe. "Plus everyone else here is too short for me."

"I feel the same way," he said with a smile and pulled her into a soapy, wet hug. He let his head rest on hers, inhaling again the scent of her hair, sweet with the sweat of training and working on the car.

Jamie let herself mesh together with Peter, wrapping her arms around his middle and listening to the beat of his heart through his wet shirt.

Peter pulled apart some though keeping his arms around Jamie and bent his head down, touching his lips softly to hers for what felt like the first kiss of his entire life.

Jamie, who had been so unknowing about boys and relationships, was swept up in Peter's kiss. It felt so right, like nothing in the world could ever go wrong again. It was light and sweet and when he pulled away she looked up into his deep blue eyes, knowing that she had found what she was looking for to make her whole.

Peter let Jamie go and they finished washing the car side by side, playing with the soapy water and enjoying each other's company. After an hour Peter's stomach started to growl. "You hungry yet?" he asked Jamie as they put away the bucket and sponges they had finished using

"Am I ever," she replied, "It feels like lunch was days ago."

"Then let's eat. Just come by room when you're ready and we'll call Wong's." With that Peter and Jamie separated again. Jamie was so happy while she was showering she wanted to sing. Her wet hair hung around her face curling in some places, giving her a fresh, playful look. She put on a pair of green sweatpants that she had cut off at the knees and a cream colored cami then walked down to Peter's room. All she could think about was how happy she was to be with Peter and how strange, but right it felt to have a 'boyfriend'. She couldn't wait to tell Kess.

When Peter let Jamie in he could still smell the shampoo on her hair and scent of soap on her skin and he loved it. She looked so comfortably pretty in her outfit, she was amazing to look at but it was obvious she didn't try to make herself look pretty; she didn't need to.

"So what's your poison?" Peter asked when she plopped down on his bed.

Jamie mused for a moment, "I think I'm going to go with sweet and sour chicken, fried rice and veggie egg rolls?"

"Delicious," Peter said, "I'm going to get chicken fried rice and lo mein. Do you want to split some crab ragoo?"

"Oh yes, I love that," Jamie said. Peter called the restaurant and they went down stairs to wait for it to arrive. "So now that I'm your girlfriend," she began, "Does that mean I have to let you do things like open the doors for me?"

Peter smiled, "No, only if you want to. I'm a little old-fashioned but I won't make you feel helpless."

"Good," Jamie laughed, "Because you know I'm anything but helpless."

"Believe me, I have a bruise forming to remind me of that." He had failed to block a quick punch that Jamie had thrown and now his bicep has a dark purple mark growing. The food arrived and they took it back up to Peter's room where he turned on his game system and inserted Need For Speed.

They ate slowly as they raced and Jamie was better at the game than Peter had thought possible. "You're killing me," he said after she had beaten him in three races, "How about something else?"

Jamie laughed triumphantly, "I mean if you want to lose at another game that's fine by me."

"How about Midnight Club 3?" he smiled, "I am number one at that."

"Well you better start getting used to being number two," Jamie smirked.

After another hour and a half of playing, Peter getting beaten six more times he shut off the game system. "I am giving up video games," he said.

Jamie laughed and patted his chest, "Aww not feeling so 'number one' anymore?"

"No, I'm feeling better than number one," he said and held her hand to his chest, kissing her lightly again, "Much better."

"Me too," Jamie said softly, smiling.

After actual Secret Service agents had come to retrieve the mutant terrorists and the President Kess found herself back in a taxi with Ororo to the hotel. "You did a good job, if I do say so myself," Ororo said.

"Well I did have a great teacher," Kess smiled back at the woman she had formed a close relationship with.

"I'm proud of you, you listened to Scott and John very well. Team work is the most important part of coming out safe."

Kess nodded and looked out the window, "It's getting easier, I couldn't imagine going in there by myself," she said. Kess had always been very independent, to a fault almost, when she first started going on missions she had a hard time listening to what authority said, putting herself in danger a few times, though always coming out the victor.

"Well you had better start," Ororo winked as she stretched in the cab. It was going on midnight because they had spent the rest of the day overseeing the arrest of the mutant criminals and then going into a debriefing session where they went over new ideas for safety from rogue mutants.

"What?" Kess asked, immediately interested.

"I've been talking to Charles about you and I think it's time that we started giving you some solo missions. You were amazing as a spy for us in Rome, Venice and South Africa. Charles and I both think you are completely capable as a spy. It lets us be able to put more people into action quicker."

Kess was amazed and excited at the same time, "Are you serious?" she asked, "That's fantastic, I can't wait. Do you have any missions set up?"

Ororo laughed, "I thought you couldn't imagine going on one by yourself."

"That's old news," Kess said, "You know me."

"I do," Ororo replied seriously, "That's why this is still a chance we're taking. You'll have a specific set of directions to stick to. You're very adaptable Kess, that's why we put you in a place where the situation is very tricky, because you always do such a good job. But sometimes you still get too passionate and too 'in-the-moment'. This is your safety and there won't be anyone else with you."

"I understand," Kess answered, just as seriously. And she did understand, she knew she could be too daring and risky sometimes but if she had an assignment, she knew how to stick to it.

"And it may not always be completely solo. You may have a partner every so often. I believe there's going to be an event in April that Charles wants you and John to attend; a dinner party in Beijing so you'll be taking classes in ballroom dancing, Chinese culture and Chinese etiquette." Ororo smiled, "I think that's one mission you'll have a very nice time on."

"I can imagine," Kess grinned.

"It also means more shopping," Ororo winked.

Kess' smile widened, "Now that's a mission that I can really get into."

"I'm glad," Ororo replied, "Until then though you seem to have some time off."

"That's good," Kess said relieved, "This year I can spend my birthday at the Institute and not in Kenya."

"Oh yes, that will be much more pleasant. Nineteen," Ororo shook her head, "You're getting so old. Soon you'll be my age."

"Oh Ororo," Kess snickered, "I have some time before that."

"You devil," Ororo gasped in mock pain, "That's not very nice."

"If I was nice and sweet, everyone would think I was you," Kess remarked with an apologetic smile.

"That's true," Ororo agreed, "I am a vision of kindness."

"And beauty," Kess added as they arrived at the hotel. Everyone went to change and shower then meet in the lobby for pizza. Kess came out in her x-men sweats like most of her teammates and ate in a tired silence.

"I'm ready for bed," Jean said, "I'm exhausted."

"Me too," echoed Kurt, "This was a long day, I'm glad it's over."

"Agreed," Scott yawned, "So let's get to bed and sleep in, tomorrow we'll head home after lunch."

Kess offered to help John get rid of the pizza boxes and they carried them outside to the dumpster. She hadn't gotten much time to see him that day and during their lazy dinner, no one had had the energy to talk.

"You were amazing," she said in the twilight, "A million times better than Scott."

"I don't know about all that," he said and held her close, "But I do think this turned out to be a good mission."

"I agree. The Professor is going to have to let you run missions now, there's no holding you back."

John laughed, his breath forming a little cloud in the dropping temperature. "That's very true," he said, "Especially with you by my side," he kissed the top of her head, "And I suppose Ororo told you about Beijing?"

"Oh yeah, I can't wait," Kess said, slipping her arm around his waist, under his jacket, "We've never been out without Scott or Jean or someone else there."

"It's going to be different but I really think you're going to do fine on your own," John encouraged her, "You have amazing instincts, you'll be the next Mata Hari."

Kess made a face, "Let's just hope not, famous spies don't usually come to good ends."

John smiled, "You know what I mean." John walked Kess to her room and kissed her goodnight.

When he woke up the next morning he rolled over to see the sun shining through the window. Warren and Scott were gone and when John looked at the other bed in the room he could see Kurt snoring away in the mid-morning light. John dressed and knocked on the Kess and Ali's door, he knew that neither of them would be up yet, Kess loved the days she could sleep in and Ali wasn't going to get up for anyone. There was some mumbling and moving around then Kess answered the door in her night clothes, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Good morning lovely lady," he said and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning," Kess smiled lazily, "What time is it?"

"Half past ten sleepy," he said, "You want to get some brunch?"

"Sure, give me twenty minutes," she smiled and John went down to the lobby to wait. Scott and Jean were sipping coffee at a table near the breakfast area and he went over to sit with them while he waited on Kess.

"Nice job yesterday," Jean said.

"Thanks, Jean, you too with getting Envy," he replied. Envy was the alias that the green eyed mutant went by.

"I just had some great direction from my two best guys," she smiled with perfectly white teeth.

"So I think we'll head back to the hangar around noon," Scott said, "That'll give everyone some time to chill out and get packed and catch some food."

"Sounds like a plan to me," John said. As he watched the morning news show with Scott and Jean he stretched his long, toned legs in his light blue jeans and fiddled with the buttons on his blue short-sleeved, plaid shirt. He wore a light grey, long sleeved tee under it to keep him warm in the October winds.

Almost a half an hour after he had gotten up Kess came out of the elevator into the lobby. She was wearing her skinny jeans with a bright pink cami under a fuzzy black hoodie. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had pulled the hood up over it.

"What are you hiding those gorgeous locks for," John asked happily as he kissed her lightly and pulled back the hood.

"No, no," Kess pulled it back up, "I didn't wash my hair this morning and it looks horrible."

"Honey you couldn't look horrible if you tried," John said, pulling her tightly to his side as they walked outside, "So how about some waffles?"

"Yummy," Kess said, "With strawberries and cream please."

"Anything for my girl," he smiled. She brightened his morning every day, just waking up and knowing that she in the world and loving him made all of his worries seem less important. And she was so beautiful, so mysterious and sexy. She looked gorgeous in her pjs after a nap and in her work out clothes, covered in sweat. She enjoyed a few girly pleasures like her makeup and hair products but she didn't have to try one bit to look beautiful. When she first came to the Institute it was clear that there was no woman on the planet like her. Her long, black hair, dark eyes and long lashes instantly ensnared almost every boy that looked at her. At first he thought that her power had been to make people fall in love with her.

She was petite but curvy with a perfectly proportioned dancer's body. Her legs were sculpted, her abs toned, her arms delicious when they were around him. Her skin was tanned darkly but naturally, with high cheek bones and a gorgeous face, he had fallen for her as soon as he laid eyes on her, walking into their first class together. She had the heart of a lover and the mind of a fighter. Often times her anger still got the best of her but with his help she was becoming more and more a woman that any mother would be proud of. Sometimes he couldn't believe that she was his; she was a badass, a symbol of beauty, a composed fighter, and the most dedicated lover. In truth she was more than he could have ever asked for.

They walked into a little pastry shop called La Baguette that was just across the street from their hotel. Kess ordered her waffles with strawberries and John chose a plate of eggs and sausage.

"You're going to clog your arteries," Kess warned with a smirk as they ate.

John took a sip of his coffee, "Get the Drano ready then," he replied, "Because I love my breakfast foods. I'll be eating my eggs and bacon and sausage when I'm seventy years old, so you should get used to it."

Kess giggled, "Alright but don't say I didn't warn you." She smiled, thinking about being seventy and still with John. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her and it could only get better. He had believed in her and stuck with her through everything that happened to her and every bad decision she made, all because he loved her. Even when she had treated him horribly, he could still see the beauty in her that she couldn't find. He brought it out and made her who she was.

She gazed at him as he read the headlines on the paper. His shaggy brown hair fell in his eyes and over his ears, outlining his handsome face. He was tan, probably from all those years of surfing on the California coast, and his light blue eyes shone out eerily from his darker features. He was tall and lean, thin but still muscular, enough to kick ass in a fight any day. And he persevered through anything, whether it was school, a mission or their relationship, he never let her give up. Her favorite thing about him was his dedication to anything he put his mind to. He was an amazing leader and the most mature man she knew; though he still loved to have fun, often times being the instigator of a prank or some sort of crazy outing. He was also so romantic, he did little things that she appreciated and went the extra mile, sometimes making up an occasion to celebrate on just a random day. She remembered the time when he had led her out to the grove for a picnic dinner he had made just for her, with roses all around the blanket and a song that he had written and sung for her.

"Done with breakfast babe?" he asked, shaking her from her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Thank you sweetheart," she replied and reached across the table to kiss him deeply.

"Well that was nice," he smiled, a little surprised at her display of affection.

"I love you so much, John," she sighed happily.

"I love you just as much Kess," he replied and caressed her cheek. Kess got goose bumps from his touch; it was so soft and loving. "Ready to get going?"

"Definitely," she said. After John paid for their meal they headed back across the street to pack their things and head home.

Jamie woke up Saturday morning at around nine and went downstairs to make herself breakfast.

"Morning Jamie," Jubilee said from the table. She was still in her pajamas and was reading a magazine as she ate cereal.

"Hey Jubilee," Jamie greeted, "How are you?"

"Tired," she said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Bad dreams. You?"

"I'm good," Jamie said. When Jubilee mentioned dreams she thought back her own which had not disrupted her sleep for a few days and decided that maybe she had gotten over it. "Lots of homework this weekend though."

"I hear you there sister," Jubilee laughed and washed out her bowl, "Well, hopefully I'll see you later, though I might be in my room studying Chemistry all weekend."

Jamie laughed, "Let's hope not," she said. She was getting much better at talking to other people and really liked making friends. She planned in her mind to do something with Jubilee sometime, she really liked her.

"Hey there," Peter said, walking into the kitchen as Jubilee left.

"Good morning," Jamie said brightly, pouring cereal into a bowl for herself, "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby," he replied, "I really liked working out with you yesterday, it tired me out. I usually do my training in the morning."

"The morning?" Jamie asked, "When do you sleep? We have class at 8."

Peter laughed, "I'm used to being up early, it comes from working on the farm. I get up at six and from 6:30 to 7:30 I train in Logan's morning class."

"Oh I see," Jamie nodded, "Maybe I should try that."

"It's fun," Peter encouraged her, "But it is early." Jamie sat at the table with her cereal and watched Peter make himself oatmeal and take two muffins before sitting down next to her. "So I was thinking we might study some together today, if you want to that is."

"Of course I want to," Jamie said, "I love spending time with you, you're so much fun."

Peter blushed a little, "That's great Jamie, I love spending time with you too. I've never met a girl like you."

It was Jamie's turn to blush, she didn't know what was so special about her that Peter would like her so much, but she didn't care, she was just glad he liked her. "Oh, hey, when do Kess and John get back?"

Peter munched on his cereal, "This afternoon I think. I saw the Professor this morning and he said the mission went really well. He also said to say hello and to tell you that if you needed anything or were having any problems assimilating to just let him know."

Jamie beamed, she was touched having someone care about her that much, "Great, well I'm definitely not having trouble getting to know people. Coming here was the best decision I ever made."

"I agree on that," Peter replied. They finished their breakfast with light chatter and then went to change and met around ten-thirty in an empty study room. First they worked on algebra together then decided to move on to history.

The jet ride from Washington D.C. to Xavier's mansion only took about thirty minutes and Kess spent most of it curled up against John's chest. They had their project for Music Admin, to begin the mastering process on a set of music supplied to them, to finish and then a day off on Monday. When they landed Kess gathered up her things and yawned, she had gotten a lot of sleep but something about flying always made her tired. They got off the jet and went to their separate rooms. "Want to work on mastering?" John asked when he dropped her off at her room.

"Yes, please," Kess said, "I don't know if I'll ever get it."

"You will sweetie," he said, "Bring your laptop to the middle study room, I'll meet you there."

Kess showered, put on her sweat pants that she bunched at the knee, showing off her beautiful legs, and a pink tank that she covered with a brown zipper sweatshirt to match the color of the pants. She checked in Jamie's room to see if she was there and when she wasn't Kess headed downstairs with her computer and Music Admin books, the computer had a program that would let them learn to master the music they had been given. She heard voices from the study room and walked in to find John talking with Jamie and Peter at one of the large round tables.

"Jamie!" Kess said excited, she ran over to the table and set her computer down before hugging her friend, "How are you?"

"So awesome," Jamie said with a sparkle in her eye.

Kess noticed how close Jamie and Peter were sitting, their chairs we right next to each other and she figured out what had happened while she was gone. "I can see that," she winked and sat between Jamie and John.

"How was the mission?" Peter asked, "The Professor said you guys did really well."

"We did," John said, "Especially this little lady," he rubbed Kess' thigh, beaming at her proudly.

"Oh I only did what I was supposed to do. Sticking to the assignment right?" Kess said modestly.

"Whatever, she was amazing," John said, "She beat the crap out of Lady Luck and Scotch. They never had a chance."

"Well what about you?" Kess said, "He took control when we needed him most, I heard Scott's voice once, the rest of the time it was John. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have caught anyone."

John shrugged and smiled. "Well it sounds like you were both very successful," Peter said, "And I heard that Envy is in a federal prison thanks to Jean."

John nodded, "Yeah she took him on all by herself behind the platform. She did a great job."

"So when do you get to go again?" Jamie asked excited, she wanted to hear more about kicking the bad guy's ass.

"Well John and I have a break until April, then we're going to Beijing, some spying apparently. Oh and guess what!" Kess blurted, "I'm going on solo missions now too. Spying, Ororo told me in the cab that she and the Professor thought it was time. I can't wait."

"You're an amazing spy baby," John put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder, "You should see her Jamie. It's like she a shadow, you can't get your hands on her and she has found out so much information for us."

Kess blushed shyly, "It's only because we have a great team."

"That's for sure," Peter said.

"So what are we going to do Monday?" Kess asked Jamie, "Did you complete your mission?"

Jamie laughed, "Oh no, I'm sorry, I was having such a busy weekend I didn't even think about it."

"I have an idea," Peter said, slipping an arm around Jamie's shoulder, letting her head rest against his cheek, "I heard there's a little fair going on in Midtown, why don't we check it out?"

"I love it," John said, always the decider, "That's perfect, I haven't been to Midtown in so long." Midtown was the small town that Peter had taken Jamie to for ice cream, it had a gentle country atmosphere and there was always a fair or something going on there.

"Then it's done, tomorrow we'll finish homework and laze around as usual," Peter smiled, "And Monday we'll go to Midtown."

"I love letting the men make the plans," Kess said to Jamie, "It's so much easier on us."

Jamie laughed, "I agree, and they certainly make good plans."

The friends finished their homework and had a pleasant evening together. Sunday was just as they had hoped, lazy and full of studying and TV. On Monday they rose late and Peter drove them to Midtown in the Thunderbird. Kess pulled Jamie through some of the little shops, finding a red scarf for her that looked gorgeous in her short, light hair. After Ferris wheels, cotton candy and enough laughing to leave them gasping for breath they returned to the Institute, ready for whatever the next week could bring them and forming the bonds of true friendship that would last forever.


	4. The Long Day

**Gabby's Story**

**Chapter 4: The Long Day**

Today was an exciting day; Auto Mechanics Skills had a field trip to the car museum for their new exhibit, "American Muscle Cars". Jamie got up late and walked into the bathroom.

"Get up Kess," she banged on her door. "Remember what day it is."

"What are you talking about?" Kess asked when she opened her door. She was in her pajamas, pink and black of course, and her hair was in two braids. "Today is just Friday."

"Don't be stupid, I know it's Friday but we're going into the city today, remember now?"

"Oh right car museum and Radio City Music Hall, got it. Thanks for getting me up, my alarm didn't go off."

"That's because you never set it," Jamie laughed.

"This is true," Kess said. They parted to get ready. Jamie put on her usual jeans and t-shirt. She brushed her hair and put on a baseball cap.

"Done yet?" she asked Kess.

"You try brushing out three feet of hair and then we'll talk," she replied. In a few minutes they were ready to leave and walked downstairs.

"I thought you got up at dawn, Kess," Jamie said laughing. It was already almost time for them to be downstairs and most of the time had been passed as Kess brushed her hair.

"Fridays don't count," she said. "I get up with the sun every other day except Friday and Saturday. It's a personal habit," she explained with an air of mock offense. "You know, Jamie, I don't think you dress well enough to be my friend," Kess said as they walked through the front hall. Kess wore jeans with a mini, black dress over them. The top half of her hair had a pink ribbon braided through it. "You look more like my boyfriend than my best friend," she laughed.

"Yeah but you love me anyways," Jamie said.

"For now," Kess said sarcastically.

After breakfast Jamie joined Peter and the other Auto students while Kess found John among the Music Appreciation crowd. They waved goodbye as their buses took off towards their destinations.

"Good morning, pretty girl," Peter said when they took their seats.

"Good morning Sunshine," Jamie said happily and she hugged him.

"Ok class, we're about to leave but I want to lay down a few rules," Scott said, "First, we are going into public. That means you absolutely may not use your powers. Anyone who does will be dealt with accordingly. Next, we are going to be in a big group to begin with but later you can break down and explore on your own. There isn't an assignment but I expect you to listen and learn because you never know what might turn up on a test. Oh, also, Logan is coming along for the trip so he'll be keeping an eye on all of you as well. Alright that's everything; you can talk until you get to the museum." Scott sat down and everyone began to talk.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite people," said a voice from behind Jamie and Peter.

"Matt," Peter said sternly, "don't start."

"I'm just having a pleasant conversation Peter. There's no need to get uptight," he said. His face appeared between them, "So Jamie, have any plans for this evening? There's a new movie at the cinema, we could go."

"I'd rather choke on my intestines," she replied and turned towards her window.

"Leave," Peter said and he pushed Matt's face back to his seat. "Some people just can't take a hint."

As the ride continued Jamie started a conversation, "Did I tell you I used to work in a garage?" she asked Peter.

"No, you worked in a garage? In Canada?"

"Yeah, I loved it too. I was only there for not even a year, but I learned so much."

"Well I guess you're pretty versed in mechanics then," Peter laughed. "You just get better and better."

"Thanks," Jamie giggled.

Kess and John settled into their seats on the bus that would take them to the heart of New York. "I'm so excited," Kess said, "I've never been to Radio City before."

"You're going to love it," John said, was from a small town in New Hampshire but had spent most of his life in New York when his family moved there while he was ten.

"I'll be surprised if they let you in," said a voice from behind them.

"Shut up Christy," Kess snapped, "No one's talking to you."

A red headed girl leaned around the seat, "Careful nothing spooks you at the door and you go all snakey," Christy continued, "You'll get us all kicked out."

John knew Kess' temper, "If that's a threat Christy, I'm sure Ororo would love to hear it. We're all mutants here and causing an electrical power outage because someone bumped into you wouldn't be any better. So why don't you sit back and chill out," he said. Christy pursed her lips and moved back two seats from them to sit with her friends.

"You know she hates me because we're dating right?" Kess said cracking her knuckles like she always did when she was pissed off.

"Don't worry about her," John said and took her hand to rub it, "She's just jealous of your beauty."

"So true," Kess smiled.

Ororo stood up from the front of the bus, "Ok we're almost to the Music Hall class," she said, "Our tour begins at 9:30 so remember what groups you're in. Lunch will be at 1:30 in the cafeteria and after that we'll see what goes on behind the scenes for the Great Stage. Just remember to be respectful and turn off your phones, they're will be other tours going on too." Once she finished speaking Ororo walked back to the empty seat in front of Kess and John. "Are you excited?" she asked, "I haven't been to Radio City in a long time. It's changed a lot but it still has the old, classic elegance."

"Right, I read that that what the architect was going for, not the glitz and glam that was popular but a more elegant and sophisticated look," John said.

"A history buff after my own heart," Ororo said smiling at John. History was the class that she taught primarily at the Institute, she was on the bus with the music students just as an extra chaperone. The bus pulled up outside Radio City just before their tour started and they separated into groups. Kess noticed thankfully that Christy was going on a different tour. She was here with the theater class instead of the music group that Kess and John were with.

The bus to the mechanics museum arrived at 9 o'clock and Scott took role. After he finished they went inside and began their tour. At each exhibit Scott asked questions pertaining to the make or model, care, and maintenance. At first Jamie tried to stay quiet but it seemed like no one else knew the answers. Every time he asked something she was always able to answer correctly.

"Suck up," Matt muttered.

"Well if you did your work, you'd be able to say answers instead of excuses," Scott reprimanded. The rest of the class including Logan smiled or laughed, and Matt just rolled his eyes. The tour ended and they were allowed to separate. Jamie and Peter walked down the Hall of Mustangs, admiring each one.

Logan caught up to them, "Good choice," he said referring to the cars.

"Hey Logan," Jamie said. She was much more comfortable with him now.

"You seemed to be quite the pupil today," he said.

"That's because she used to work in a garage," Peter said.

"A garage huh? Sounds like your type of place."

"Yeah I liked it there. Even though I'm a girl they still treated me like I belonged."

Behind Jamie and Peter two boys were fooling around. One was telekinetic and kept making the engine of one of the model cars rev each time someone passed it.

"Looks like I'm needed, I'll see you back on the bus," Logan said and he went to take care of the trouble makers. Jamie and Peter continued down the hall taking in the cars that marked the years of the past. Each style had a different story that was rooted deep in the history of not only the United States but the entire world. Jamie usually had something to say about each car and they talked pleasantly about whatever subject came to their minds.

"Well look who we keep running into," said Matt. He and his friends walked down the Hall of Mustangs. "So Jamie I'm sure you've heard about the Fall Formal coming up on a month. If you don't have a date I'd be willing to take you," he said suavely.

"Yes she already has a date," Peter said in an aggressive tone. "You better back off Matt."

"Ah ah ah now, no powers. If you get grounded or expelled you won't be able to see the little woman again."

"I'm not a little woman," Jamie said, it was her turn to be angry.

The conversation was not going as Matt had planned, so he decided to go out onto a dangerous topic. "Has Peter told you about all his other girlfriends yet?" he asked Jamie.

"What are you talking about, loser?" she replied. As much as she wanted to ignore him the words, 'other girlfriends' intrigued even Jamie.

"Leave out a few details Peter? Let's see, Tanya, oh she was gorgeous. Blonde hair and a killer tan, but she moved back to California a few weeks later. Juanita was a Mexican beauty. Flawless skin and dark brown hair, another hottie. Monique was a sweetheart wasn't she Peter? She went back to Africa as soon as her parent's work was taken care of. And who was the French number Pete? Oh her name was Manon. She was gorgeous too. Peter doesn't waste time you see, so many girls so little time. He jumps on it right from the start. In fact he even went for Kess, though, who wouldn't. But she almost bit his head off, literally. She was a handful when she first came here. Oh wait, we can't forget Allie. She was his latest breakup, it happened two days before you got here Jamie. You'd have thought he knew a cuter girl was on the way." Matt finished and he looked from Peter to Jamie. "Ever wonder why Allie never seemed to like you Jamie? Now you know."

Just then Scott called for Matt and his friend to come to him. They left and there was an awkward silence between Jamie and Peter.

"Jamie I…" Peter began, but Jamie just continued to stare at the ground. "I don't know what to say. They don't mean anything to me anymore. It's not because you're gorgeous, or smart, or funny. But because you're you, I don't know how to explain. I'm totally committed to you."

Jamie wanted his words to heal her, but she just couldn't get over what Matt had said. It's true Allie did seem to dislike her for no reason and Peter made a move to speak to her on the first day. All he said made total sense but no sense. Jamie couldn't even bring herself to look him in the eyes. Peter's face dropped to the floor as well.

"I'm sorry," he said faintly.

"Hey Peter, Jamie," yelled a friend of theirs from class, "time to go. Bus is here." Peter and Jamie walked outside to the bus. Only Logan noticed their change in personality from happy to somber. On the bus Jamie and Peter sat together but didn't talk. Peter stared at his hands and Jamie watched New York City pass by her window. When they passed Radio City Music Hall she saw Kess and John boarding their bus. John had his arm around Kess' neck and they were laughing. She wished she was laughing at a joke Peter told her as his own strong arm found its place across her shoulders. She didn't know if she was mad at Peter, or frustrated, or what. Suddenly she couldn't figure anything out. Maybe Peter wasn't the perfect guy she had dreamed of.

_"Oh but he is!"_ she thought, _"He is so wonderful." _

"You're so bad," Kess laughed at she and John boarded the bus again.

"All I'm saying is it looks like someone just dropped a bucket of cherry red paint on her head," he repeated trying not to laugh, "It just looks fake."

"If you're not careful Christy's going to hear you," she scolded but with a smile, "Besides you used to date her. You must have liked something about her."

John looked a little more serious, "Only because I couldn't have you," he said, "What I liked about her was that I didn't care about her. There was only ever room for you in my heart."

Kess smiled wide and pushed him, "You are too much sometimes," she laughed, "And to think about how I treated you when we first met," she laughed, "You're something else, you charmer."

"Every charmer needs his snake," John said slyly as they rode back towards the mansion.

_"Great Peter, you've messed up with possibly the greatest girl ever,"_ Peter told himself. _"Why didn't you just tell her about the other girls sooner? You knew you would have to eventually. Oh I guess I just hoped Kess would explain it to her, or that she would never find out. They honestly mean nothing anymore." _He looked at Jamie as she stared into space. He thought of taking her hand and apologizing again. He was about to reach for her but the bus pulled into the driveway of the mansion.

Thunder clapped overhead and the clouds that had threatened to open finally did, pouring down waves of rain. Students ran inside and even more people were running when the Music Hall bus unloaded.

"Jamie, Peter!" Kess yelled. But Jamie wanted to be alone. In the bustle she had lost Peter and now found a chance to slip into the garden.

"Alone again," she said to no one. "Am I just over reacting? I mean if he says he's over them then I believe him. But two days after a break up. I hope this isn't just some rebound relationship. Oh I just can't think." She sat down on one of the marble benches and a few tears of frustration escaped. "I've got to get out of here for a bit," she told the lilies who just swayed in the rain.

Rain had seeped to her skin and Jamie shivered in the garage. She found the keys she wanted, started up Logan's motorcycle, and drove off into the pouring rain. Thoughts raced through her mind and she grew more and more upset.

_"It's funny how everything seems worse when you are upset,"_ she thought.

"I can't find her anywhere and no one has seen her," Scott said when he came into Professor Xavier's office. He shook the rain off his coat and sat down. "I know she was on the bus when we came home because I saw her. I don't know what could have happened."

"Where the hell is my bike?" Logan yelled. He stormed into the office furious.

"Calm down Logan. I think I know what has happened," Professor Xavier said. Storm and Jean walked in after they heard Logan's shouts. "Good, now that you're all here I'll only have to say this once. Jamie has left the premises. I just saw the video security system and she was riding your motorcycle Logan. I can't tell you where she's going, her mind is so confused I can hardly find it."

"What could have happened to upset her so?" Jean asked. "She seemed so happy."

"Kid stuff," Logan said simply. "I think I know where she went. I'll be back." With that he left them in Xavier's study.

"I swear," Storm said, "that man could not be more secretive if he tried."

"A soon as Jamie returns I don't want anyone to approach her. We are not going to make a big deal out of this. I think it's best that the students learn to work though their problems on their own without the likes of us constantly breathing down their necks."

"Agreed Professor," Jean said.

"Whatever you say Charles," Storm replied.

Logan had borrowed Scott's bike because he loved to take advantage of a time when he could annoy Scott. He drove through the city looking for a certain sign. Then he saw his bike parked outside of a bar. The neon sign above it said, "Cage Fights for Money."

_"Yup just as I thought,"_ Logan said to himself. He parked Scott's bike and walked inside. _"She could at least have chained it to something,"_ he thought as he passed his bike. Inside the bar was crowded and smoky. Even Logan had to cough; it seemed as though everyone was smoking. It was dark and dingy and in the middle of the bar Logan saw the top of the cage they used for fights, a rectangular cage 10x12 feet. Room enough for two people to fight until one of them passed out. As he got closer he caught sight of Jamie. Her hair was a mess and she looked sweaty but hardly tired. She wore her jeans and boots along with her belt buckle. Her t-shirt was pushed halfway through the cage fence and she was in just a sports bra. She was much more muscular than he imagined and her toned body was ripped. She looked angry and aggressive. Logan recognized the rage that overtook her eyes; the rage that burned through to her heart from years of keeping everything inside; of letting it eat away at her.

_"Well this isn't the best way, but at least she's getting her feelings out somehow,"_ Logan said to himself while he made his way to the bar. "Red Dog," he said and the bartender poured him a pint of the amber delicacy.

"Haven't seen you here before," he said. "Most people here have been here for years. Not a soul I don't know; with the exception of you and that girl in the cage. Oddly enough, she looks more like she belongs here than you do." He was a large man, and had obviously tended the bar there for years, probably since it had opened. He was the kind of guy you could tell your whole life story to and not only would he remember all of it, but he would care; the perfect example of a Hell's Angel.

"Yeah about her," Logan said, "How long has she been in there?"

"Well I guess about two hours. I don't reckon she's taken one break either," he replied just realizing the fact.

"Has she lost any rounds?"

"Nope, not one."

Just then a huge, bald man covered in tattoos and who wore leather, fingerless gloves stood up. "Alright I'm taking this little girl out," he declared.

"Uh oh, she better watch out," remarked the bartender, "That's Stonehand Smith. Meanest man I've ever set eyes on. I'm going to cancel this fight, he'll hurt her something terrible."

"Wait," Logan said to him, taking another swig of his beer. "Let's see how this turns out, if it gets too bad you can call it."

"If you're sure."

"I am," Logan finished. _"This won't be long,"_ he thought to himself. _"That poor guy has no idea what he's in for. After tonight they won't be calling him Stonehand Smith any longer."_

Stonehand entered the cage and Jamie, who had been squatting down, stood up. The overseer hit the bell and the fight started.

"Well I know who's coming out of here with 300 dollars," Stonehand said.

"Yeah…me," Jamie replied and blocked his first punch, replacing it with one of her own. Being hit by what was practically a child surprised Stonehand and before he regained himself Jamie delivered another fist to the left of his head. He grabbed her neck and put her in a head lock. Jamie elbowed his chest and when he let go she turned around and kicked him into the fence. The crowd cheered and booed. Stonehand started toward her but she head butted him backwards again. He was mad now.

"Little girls don't beat me, no one does," he shouted.

"Times have changed old man. Keep up with it," Jamie replied.

Stonehand growled and ran towards her. This time he caught her square in her face. Much of the crowd gasped and booed. Jamie wiped the blood off her face and took a right up-hook. She hit him so hard she busted her knuckles open.

"Ouch," Logan said.

"She's incredible. No one's lasted longer than 30 second against Stonehand," the bartender said amazed.

_"Well Jamie isn't just anyone,"_ Logan thought.

They continued fighting and by the end Jamie had a black eye and a busted lip in addition to her nose and knuckles. However, compared to Stonehand, she was in good shape. When he woke up he would find three broken fingers, a fractured rib, and half his body covered in bruises and cuts. Needless to say he wouldn't fight again for a long time. He would also become oddly apprehensive of any young girl. Jamie spat out blood and checked to make sure all her teeth were present. Once she was sure of this she stepped over the unconscious Stonehand and gathered her things. Most of the crowd cheered her as she put her shirt back on and collected her prize money. Logan had left as soon as she had won and had gotten himself lost in the crowd. Jamie left with her 500 dollars; 200 from her previous fights and 300 from her final victory. She walked outside and breathed semi-clean air. Logan watched her as she gave her prize money to the homeless man outside the door.

"God bless you angel," he said.

"No God bless you," she replied.

"Hey kid," said a voice behind her.

"I knew you were here," she said without turning around. "First I could smell you as you came in. You had pizza for lunch. Second, I saw you at the bar while I was fighting. And then I saw Scott's bike, I figured you would come looking for me. I did steel your motorcycle." She turned to face Logan. In the dim light she looked no longer happy nor mature and wise. She looked only worn. Like she had been pushed too far and all the layers protecting her inside feelings had been peeled away.

"Nice job in there. Buy you some coffee? You're out of prize money," Logan observed.

"Sure, I've got nowhere else to go."

They walked across the street to a diner and got a table in the back. Here the few people that occupied the restaurant with them could not hear them.

"So who were you really fighting in that ring kid?" Logan asked while the sipped their coffees.

"I don't want to talk about it, Logan," Jamie said plainly. She was still upset and confused. Fighting had not helped clear her mind very much.

"It's about what that kid said to you about Peter, isn't it?" he said. He looked her square in the face, cards laid out, and no secrets.

"How'd you know?" she asked.

"I could smell him coming so after I left I stayed within listening distance. I heard everything he said."

Jamie's eyes welled up in tears again, "I know it shouldn't change things between Peter and I, but…I just don't want to think about it anymore, I don't want to think about anything," her voice faded away.

Logan sipped more coffee and said in a sincere voice, "Well kid, I have known Peter a lot longer that you have so listen closely. Yeah he dated other girls. A lot of boys your age do. But never once have I seen him look at any of them, any other girl, the way he looks at you. He truly cares for you with his whole heart. You are the only thing that can move that boy to tears and believe me, because I have seen him get the crap knocked out of him numerous times. You are his world, sorrow, joy, and passion. Don't let his past get in the way of your future together."

Jamie looked at him, "I won't," was the only thing she could say. Her worn look was gone and a new, refreshing persona took over. Jamie smiled and Logan returned it.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Very," she replied.

By the time they arrived back at the Institute it was half past midnight.

"You go on to bed," Logan said. "I'll tell Xavier you're back home safe and sound."

"Goodnight Logan, and thanks again."

He nodded and they went their separate ways. _"Well I've done my good deed for the day,"_ Logan thought and went to see Charles.

When Jamie got to her room she saw Peter leaning next to her door, snoring lightly. He looked so innocent. All the terrible stories she told herself in her confusion left her mind as she watched him sleep. Jamie bent down and kneeled next to him. She watched him sleep and listened to his rhythmic breathing. His chest rose and fell slowly.

_"How could I ever have been mad at you?"_ she thought. _"You are so adorable when you sleep."_ She leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Wake up sleepy," she whispered. Peter woke up slowly but as soon as Jamie's face registered with his brain he sprang to his feet.

"I'm so sorry Jamie. I wanted to tell you about the other girls but I was so happy with you, I totally forgot about them. Please forgive me. I…Jamie!" he exclaimed. "What happened to you?" He held her bloody hands in his and gently kissed her wounded knuckles. His light brown eyes searched her face for the answer, examining all her cuts and bruises. His fingers moved to her busted lip and she closed her eyes. His cold hands felt good and soothing to her throbbing lip. He changed to her black eye and touched it gently. Unfortunately gently for Peter was not gentle enough for Jamie. She winced and he shhh'd her softly. "Who did this to you?" Concern filled his voice and his eye.

"Don't' worry," Jamie said, "You should see the other guy." She grinned.

"I'm glad I'm not him, or what's left of him," Peter replied. "I thought you said you had healing powers though. Why are you still bruised?"

"Only when I want to use them do I heal myself," she said. "I don't want these marks to go away yet. They will remind me of my stupidity."

"You aren't the stupid…" Peter tried to say but Jamie put her finger to his mouth.

"I'll forgive you on one condition," she said.

"What? Anything," his eyes asked for him.

Jamie softly continued, "You have to take me to the dance."

Peter nodded and Jamie removed her finger and moved into his arms. He held her close for several minutes, unwilling to let go.

"We have to go to sleep now," Jamie said and Peter let go. He kissed her goodnight and she became sure about what Logan said. She was his world, sorrow, joy, and only passion. They pulled apart and Peter went to his room. Jamie opened her door and standing right in front of her was Kess.

"I knew you two would make up," she stated seriously. "I knew it. John said you two wouldn't be back together for at least a week. I bet him movie tickets you would be back in each other's arms by tomorrow morning. Now he has to take me to the movies," she finished excitedly. "I love going to the movies with John, not that we watch anything," she winked.

"Does everyone here eavesdrop and bet on my relationship?" Jamie laughed.

"Well can you blame me? You guys are better than any romance movie." They both laughed until their sides hurt.

_"It feels good to laugh again,"_ Jamie thought. _"Things aren't as bad when you laugh."_

"Alright, I'm going to shower now. I waited all night for you to get home. Believe it or not I was worried sick about you," Kess said and she left to shower. After Kess finished Jamie took her own shower and decided to heal herself. Kess re-entered Jamie's room while she brushed her teeth. "You know this means we have to go shopping for dresses, don't you?" she said when she finished.

"Definitely," Jamie smiled. They said goodnight and went to bed. The long day was done.

In Xavier's study, Logan was explaining the fight to Charles. "I'll be surprised if he ever fights someone again," Logan said. "She knocked the crap out of him. It was such a joy to watch."

"Well I'm glad she can defend herself," Charles chuckled. "But I want to make sure she doesn't use her powers for fighting. That's not what they are meant for."

"I know, don't worry she's smarter than that. She just had a lot of anger she had to get out. You understand."

"Yes I do, and I'm glad she is back here safely. You've done well Logan. It's good to have you back here."

"It's good to be here."

"The students are glad to have you as well, you know. All of them."

"Yeah well I'll fix that. Soon they'll be asking me if I am leaving anytime soon." Charles and Logan laughed at this and then decided to head to bed themselves.

"Jamie especially, is glad for your presence," Xavier said.

"Well I just try to do what seems right at the moment. I'm no saint."

"No you aren't but you are more than you think. Goodnight Logan."

"Goodnight Charles."


	5. Shop Till You Drop

**A New Home**

**Chapter 5: Shop Till You Drop**

It was eight o'clock on Saturday morning. A morning perfect for doing what kids do best: sleeping. Jamie lay in bed as the faint sunshine fell across her body. She sighed and rolled over, glad to be able to sleep in for once. Her bed was warm and the air was cool, the mattress reformed to allow for her movement and her pillows got softer by the minute. Jamie was so comfortable she was even sleeping in her dreams. She was asleep on a cloud; rain fell all around making little golden puddles on the clouds. All of a sudden she was violently awoken from her dream by a screeching alarm. Jamie moaned and opened her eyes.

"Good morning sleepy head, time to get up," said Kess who stood over Jamie's bed.

"What is wrong with you?" Jamie asked her crazy friend. "It's Saturday, go back to bed, you know like sane people do." With that she pulled her pillow back over her eyes.

"First of all," Kess said, "sane is overrated. Second, we are on a mission. We are going to find ourselves killer dresses for the dance. Now get up before I have to go get the cold water."

Jamie remembered their plans and forced herself out of bed. "Ok, ok I'm up. Just give me a bit to get ready," she said still sleepy. She noticed Kess was already dressed and ready to go. "You know, I think that is the first time I have seen you set your alarm clock." She added with a grin. Kess stuck out her tongue and they laughed which helped Jamie wake up a bit more.

Kess left and Jamie got into the shower, _"I don't think I've ever actually been shopping,"_ she thought to herself for the first time. She finished her shower and dressed quickly. She walked into Kess' room ready to go. She wore a faded black t-shirt and jeans. Her jeans were worn and the bottoms were shredded from so much wear. Her Dolphins baseball cap sat atop her head as usual.

"Ok ready to go," Jamie yawned one last time.

Kess studied her as she walked in and said, "What size do you wear?"

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked confused.

Kess' mouth dropped to the floor. She put aside the song she was writing and slid off her bed. "Alright I have but one question for you. Do you trust me?" she asked seriously.

Jamie was still confused and getting kind of nervous. "Yeah why do you ask? Um Kess what are you thinking? You have that crazy look in your eyes."

Kess grinned and her eyes spelled "mischievous". "I, Kesskallome Creed, am going to give you a makeover." She put her hands on Jamie's shoulders grinning from ear to ear. "This is going to be so much fun. You will look so great." She pulled Jamie over to the vanity in her room. "Ok sit here," she ordered. She opened her drawers and Jamie stared dumbfounded. One whole drawer was filled with different kinds of makeup and nail polish.

"Do you use all of that?" Jamie asked.

"Yup, and you will too. You're welcome to it anytime. Now sit back and let me work my magic. And no peeking." Kess closed the drawer of makeup. "Ok first we have to find your color. Looking good is not enough by itself; you have to have a signature color that totally completes you." She held up a red blouse and tossed it on to the bed. Next was a blue tank top which also got rejected. She tried pink, purple, yellow, and orange before she picked up the green turtle neck. "Perfect!" she yelled excitedly. "This is perfect. Alright we have your color. But I have to find a different top." Kess rooted through her drawers and moved on to her closet. "Jamie," she said in a serious tone that made Jamie wonder if something was wrong. "I have found it," Kess showed Jamie the green top she had found. It was a dark forest green. It was a sort of stretchy material with no sleeves. It overlapped at the bust and flared out below that. "Jamie, this is absolutely perfect; and here this finishes it." She gave Jamie a pleated, black mini skirt with a green ribbon belt and a furry black midriff coat. Jamie changed into her new outfit and sat back down.

"I like, what now?" she asked with a smile.

"Now we are going to paint your nails, emerald green I think," Kess answered. She took a green polish that made each nail look like a jewel. Then she pulled out her makeup and thought. "Jamie, while we are out you will have to get your own makeup for yourself, you're just lucky I have some light foundation. I bought it on accident." Jamie was tan but her skin was still lighter than Kess'. Jamie sat through blush, mascara, and many different types of eye shadow.

"I definitely didn't think makeup would take this long, it's a lot of work," Jamie commented.

"Not really, it only takes me a minute or two usually. It just takes longer on you because we have to figure out what looks best. And now your hair." Kess stood for a few minutes staring at Jamie. Finally she disappeared into the bathroom and returned with several bottles. They were full of gel, some colored pink, and others were blue and green.

"Ah what are you going to do with those?" Jamie asked nervously.

"Don't worry, I'm going to style your hair," Kess told her. "Just relax." Kess squeezed small amounts of the brightly colored goop into her palms and began to style Jamie's hair. Choppy pieces hung perfectly in a playful, but sophisticated fashion. "The finishing touch," Kess said and she put a black headband with tiny green jewels into her pieced hair. Jamie pulled on a pair of black knee boots and looked at herself.

"I can't believe it," she said in awe. She hardly even recognized herself.

"You ARE welcome," Kess said, she was clearly proud of her work and it was easy to see why. "Grab a purse from my closet," she told Jamie.

"I'm so excited Kess, let's get going," Jamie said when she had made sure she had everything she needed.

"Wait, Jamie, I just realized, how are we going to get there?"

"We can borrow a car from the garage. Scott owes me for installing that E.C.U. and Drive Train," she replied casually.

"Um ok, over my head," Kess replied and they headed out the door. As they walked down the hall everyone was staring at them, they were definitely the hottest girls in the school. Kess was wearing black hose and a black sweater. She had a dark maroon and black pleated skirt and a long maroon scarf. Jamie's dark green looks made the two of them look like night-time nymphs. Jamie's flaming eyes and rough and tough beauty mixed with Kess' exotic look and made the two a killer combination.

"What is everyone looking at?" Jamie asked Kess, she wasn't used to this kind of attention.

Kess laughed and replied, "Us silly. You'll get used to it." With that they exited the hall.

As they entered the garage Scott, Peter, John, and Logan were working on the Acura RSX that Scott had bought to fix up. They were covered in grease and sweat. Without shirts, even in the cold winter air, their strong muscular bodies resembled those of Greek gods. They were talking and laughing but when the girls walked in they became silent. Peter let out a whistle to break the quiet and Jamie turned dark red.

"Jamie?" Scott asked. None of them had ever seen her look the way she did.

"Yeah," she answered. When she had first looked at herself in the mirror she had been as shocked as they were.

_"That can't be Jamie,"_ Peter though to himself. _"This look is so different, she's gorgeous. I've never seen this side of her before, I sure do like it. She's as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside."_ He looked at her with joyful disbelief and shook his head. Jamie smiled and looked away then back at him.

"I see Kess gave you a makeover. One of her better experiments," John said with a grin. He winked at Kess who glowed with pride over Jamie and the reaction of the boys.

"Hey," she said, "I made those girls hot and you know it. My fashion sense out does yours big time Mr. I-wear-one-style-and-one-style-only." John nodded and laughed, he put his arm around Kess who gave him a mock look of disgust.

"What's its acceleration speed?" Jamie asked as she looked under the hood of the car they were working on.

"0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds," Scott told her.

"Nice," Jamie said. "I'll help you guys when I get back." She patted the car and stood up again. Logan watched them, also in a state of shock from Jamie's sudden change from tom-boy to princess. He pretended not to notice and continued cleaning the gears in his large hands.

"Where are you gals going?" Peter asked after he regained himself from shock.

"We're going to the mall to find dresses for the dance next week," Kess said.

"Hey do you girls want us to meet you there for dinner?" John asked.

"That sounds awesome," Kess said and pecked him on the cheek. "And now we're off, we don't want to miss any good sales."

"Hey Scott, mind of I use the Supra? I promise I'll drive slowly," Jamie asked Scott. She flashed a girly grin that made Peter wild. The feminine perfection newly found in her shone bright and Peter loved it. She was always beautiful to him in her jeans and t-shirts, but it was mind blowing to see her dressed how she was.

"Sure," Scott replied, "the keys are in it. And make sure you drive the speed limit. One of you has already been in trouble with a vehicle." He gave Kess a serious look.

Jamie looked at her friend questioningly. "I'll tell you later," Kess said and she got in the car.

"Thanks Scott," Jamie said and winked at Peter. She put up the garage door and started the car. They waved to the guys and pulled out of the garage. Jamie drove them to the front gate, without looking at her Jamie said to Kess, "Make sure your seatbelt is tight."

"Hey remember you told Scott you would drive slowly," Kess said with a smirk.

"I know, I know," Jamie said, but a dangerous smile spread across her face.

"Oh great," Kess laughed. Jamie peeled out of the driveway and they sped down the road.

Back in the garage, Scott and they guys could hear the screeching tires as the girls went on their way. "I told her not to drive too fast," Scott said, sounding annoyed. "Oh well, she's responsible, I never would have gotten that drive train figured out if it hadn't been for her."

"Yeah, I can't stay mad at her either," Peter said, and John laughed at them both.

Kess turned up the music, and the girls sang along to Love at First Sight, by Kylie Minogue. "If this isn't the perfect song, I don't know what is," said Jamie.

Kess laughed, "For you it is, John and I knew each other long before we started going out. I dated one of his friends for a little while and every time we went somewhere with a group, John and I would argue for hours. Finally, Seth, they guy I was dating, moved away. It wasn't too sad though, we didn't have a fire like John and I. He makes me feel so special."

Jaime sighed, "Aren't guys just great?"

"They sure are," Kess replied. "Awesome we're here." Jamie parked the car in the lot and they got out. A few spaces down some guys got out of their own car and whistled. Kess smiled turned and started to walk to the mall, but Jamie didn't move.

"Hey what year is that car?" she called out. Kess rolled her eyes and took Jamie by the arm. "What?" Jamie asked.

"Come on, you are such a loser sometimes," Kess laughed. Inside the mall the first thing they could smell was freshly baked pretzels from Peggie's Pretzels. "Mmm, that smells really good, you know what I'm hungry," Kess said.

"Me too, but I don't want a pretzel, let's walk around some." They started around the mall passing shoe stores, music stores, dress shops, and novelty shops. What Are You Waiting For, by Gwen Stefani was playing from the speakers mounted all throughout the halls. "There, let's eat there," Jamie pointed to a small coffee shop. They went inside and ordered hot chocolate coffees and sandwiches.

"Tell me more about your past Jamie," Kess said as they sipped their drinks warming their insides.

"Well what do want to know?"

"Like what was your life like before you came here, I mean before you were alone in Canada? Do you remember it?"

"Sure I remember it, I don't always understand it, but I remember it. I remember that my "father" was a magician. I mean I know he didn't have magical powers, but at the time that's what I thought. He could make things float in the air and move around. Magic see? I don't know how he did it, probably something could explain it, but I can't. I guess I had two fathers, you could say. I mean I remember two men in my life, they took care of me and helped me grow up, but after a little while all the memories get sort of blurry. I remember that there was another person, well I guess you could call him a person, he was really hairy. I don't remember too much about him but it was his smell that sticks in my head most. I can't describe it really, but it was very distinct. My memories get blurry there and I honestly can't remember anything else. It's like I was suddenly out on my own and happy, see just before everything gets blurred I can remember being really sad. I guess that's why I left."

"Huh, you sure have a mysterious past Jamie, I think we'll have to do some investigation work," Kess replied. "I remember everything before I came to the Institute. I remember it all too well."

"Tell me about it, I told you about me, now it's your turn."

"That's for another time, we've spent enough time talking, let's go look for dresses, I'm in the shopping mood," Kess smiled. They got up, tossed their garbage, and headed into the mainstream of the mall. It was busy for a Saturday and the music could barely be heard above all the talking and walking. Their first stop was inside MOD. MOD was an upscale dress shop and almost everything they touched weighed at least thirty pounds because of all the beading. Jamie tried on a few dresses but nothing had the flare she was looking for. They moved on to Angie's Formal Wear where they each found a dress they liked.

"I don't know, I like this one but I still think I could do better," Jamie said of her velvet navy halter dress.

"I agree," said Kess, "Let's look a little more, I don't like mine enough either." Kess' dress was a bright pink strapless.

The girls walked around the mall for another half hour, trying on different styles and colors when Jamie saw it. "Look!" she said to Kess, stopping her by the arm.

"What…Oh my," Kess said. Jamie was pointing to a dark green dress hanging in the display case of Samantha, another dress shop. "That's gorgeous Jamie; you have to try it on." They went inside and Jamie found the dress in her size. She came out of the room and Kess gasped "That's it!" The dress had one thick strap from her left shoulder, smaller straps pulled across from each shoulder. Pieces hung from the thick strap down to her elbows in varying shades of green. The dress was satin but it was ripped all down the sides and sparkling green thread tied the rips back together still leaving space for a little skin to peek through. The rips stretched across the front of the dress and the back not just the sides. It had a low cut back and the front was cut straight across. Jamie twirled in front of the mirror, knowing she had found her perfect dress.

"This is it," she said to herself. She imagined walking down a majestic staircase in this dress as Peter lost his breath.

"Jamie, that's perfect. I can't believe it, it's so beautiful, you look great," Kess said.

"Thanks, ok now it's your turn. Once we find your dress we'll have to look for accessories right? Well we can't shop all day, so let's get this paid for." Jamie paid for her dress and smiled all the while. The next place they stopped in was Evening Out, a store specifically for formal dresses. They searched for a little while, until Kess let out a shriek.

"I've found it!" she said excitedly to Jamie. She ran off to the dressing room before Jamie could even get a glimpse of the dress, but when she came out Jamie knew why she was so excited. Kess' dress was a slinky black number that was strapless but sheer pink fabric hung down her shoulders. The pink was two different shades, bright and light pink and the bright pink fabric thickly outlined the top seem of the dress. Again the two shades of pink were attached low on her hips and hung down a little past her knees. "Oh Jamie, this is the dress that will outdo all my other outfits. Now I'm not that shallow, but this dress is definitely sent from Heaven." This time Kess envisioned John's reaction to her in her own fashion fantasy. She paid for her dress and they began the task of finding everything they needed to make the night perfect.

"First, let's go to Red Light, the shoe store," Kess said. Inside they each found a satisfactory pair of shoes, Jamie found green sandals and Kess got a pair of pink heels. In Etc. Jamie found green and sliver chandelier earrings and a green choker. Kess bought pink chandelier earrings and a black choker with two layers of pink pearls attached to it. Jamie also bought some green ribbon to tie around her lower arms that mimicked the green ribbon on her shoulders. Kess found long black, satin fingerless gloves with fingers traced in pink.

"I think we are done," Jamie said as they finished buying their goods.

"I think so too," Kess said, "I have all kinds of hair things at home we can go through tonight. Hey why don't you spend tonight in my room, we can stay up late, eat, talk, and it'll be fun."

"Sounds good to me," Jamie said, "I've never had a "slumber party" this should be interesting," the two girls laughed and Kess called John to let them know what time to be at the restaurant.

"This is the ending to a perfect day," Jamie said.

"I know what you mean, I haven't had this much fun shopping in a long time. Everyone else I shop with gets so boring, they get tired. I could shop all day." They laughed all the way out of the mall and into the car. Jamie drove them to Cheri, a restaurant in town that wasn't too nice but nice enough for a serious dinner. They got a table and a few minutes after they sat down Peter and John walked through the door.

"There's my girl," John said and he sat down next to Kess with a little kiss on her cheek.

"Successful shopping ladies?" Peter asked as he sat next to Jamie.

"You can judge for yourselves next week when you see our dresses," Jamie said, "I'm sure you'll be…pleased."

"Ooo, I can't wait," Peter said and smiled.

"Ok, ok enough talking, let's get some food, I'm starved," John said and he looked through the menu.

"You're always thinking about food, John," Kess said. "Cars and food."

"And my lovely lady," he said, making Kess blush.

"Oh you," she said and began scanning the menu herself.

Peter made some suggestions to Jamie who decided on grouper. "Nice choice, nice choice," he said. Kess had salmon and Peter and John each had a steak.

"I absolutely love salmon," Kess said as she devoured her dinner.

"I agree, I love all types of fish," Jamie said. They talked lightly for a while until the conversations became more between each couple than all four of them. Jamie and Peter talked about their day; Jamie talked excitedly about her first shopping experience. Kess and John sat in silence for a little while, John had his arm around Kess and they watched Peter and Jamie.

"They're so cute together," Kess said.

"Yeah, she's all Peter can talk about, I was going to tell him to shut up, but I figured he probably wants to do the same to me, I talk about you so much."

"Oh you're such a sweet talker. Seriously though, I think they're perfect together. Peter always needed someone he could worry about. He's such a big sweet guy, and now he's got someone to be sweet to. They are funny though. I wonder if we look that pathetic together."

"Probably," John said, "yeah he's so big and she's so small, it's an interesting combination. Peter looks so tough and burly, but when he's even thinking about Jamie he's like a little boy."

"I believe it, Jamie gets such a starry look in her eyes, I can always tell what she's thinking about, and it's usually Peter."

Their check came and John paid for Kess' meal while Peter picked up Jamie's. "Ready to go home?" Jamie asked. They headed out to the car.

"We had Christian drop us off, so you could take us home Jamie, we want to ride in the Supra too," Peter told her.

"We'll sit in the back, backseat memories right Kess?" John said.

Kess laughed and pushed him into the seat, "We're not making any backseat memories tonight,"

Peter and Jamie laughed and Peter got into the driver's seat. "Hold on a sec, mister," Jamie said. "I've got the keys and I'm driving."

Peter moved over to the passenger's seat and Jamie sat down, "Yes ma'am," he said with a smile. Jamie drove off home the music was blaring Vertigo, by U2. She pulled into the driveway at seven thirty, and Scott met them at the garage door.

"Why are you up Scott?" Kess asked. "Our curfew isn't until midnight."

"I just wanted to make sure my baby was alright," he replied and walked to the driver's side of the car. Jamie looked at Kess who returned her confused look. "How are you my dear, did they take good care of you?" he said as he pat the steering wheel of the car. Jamie and Kess laughed.

"You and your Supra," John joked. Scott gave him a look and the kids went inside. They walked up to the girl's hall and stayed talking for a little while. Kess kissed John goodnight and Jamie did the same for Peter, Kess kissed John a little longer and Peter had to finally pull them apart. "Night gorgeous," John said, and Kess waved goodnight and went into her room.

"Good night, Jamie, I hope you had a good time today," Peter said.

"I did and my favorite part was having dinner with you, good night Peter," Jamie said and went into her room. Peter and John left for their hall and they each stayed up thinking about their girlfriend long into the night.

Back in Jamie's room Kess came in after they had each showered and changed into their pajamas. "Hey sweetie," she said. "Come into my room, I rescued some chips and dip from the kitchen."

"Mmm, dip," Jamie said and followed her into her room. They sat down on Kess' bed and started on the chips. "Got anything to drink?" Jamie asked with a mouth full of chips.

"Here," Kess handed her a diet cola and opened one for herself. "So what's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"What's it like being with Peter? You two really look funny together."

"Why do we look funny?"

"Jamie, hello, he's like over six feet tall, and you're just, what, five six?"

"Five seven, thank you very much. And I'm taller than you are," Jamie said defiantly.

"Oh right, my bad," Kess laughed.

"No, height doesn't make a difference."

"Yeah the bigger they are the harder that fall, and Jamie he has fallen hard for you."

"Oh," Jamie blushed.

"It's true," Kess laughed, "Oh I'm so tired. I always get tired after I eat."

"Me too, let's go to bed." The girls crawled under their covers and Jamie set Kess' alarm clock.

"Why did you do that? We don't have to get up tomorrow."

"You're right," Jamie turned off the alarm and the fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.


	6. Dance Fever

**A New Home**

**Chapter 6: Dance Fever**

It was finally Friday, the day of the Fall Formal. Jamie woke up early and went downstairs for breakfast. Since classes were still on she decided to head to the Training Room and get ready for class. Once she arrived she saw that tumbling mats covered a good part of the floor. She got an idea and after she stretched out she began to do back-flips across the room. She was walking on her hands when Kess came in the room.

"Nice handstand amigo," Kess said when she entered.

Jamie came out of her headstand and smoothed back her hair. "Thanks," she said. Kess winked and ran into a no handed cartwheel. "Awesome," Jamie said.

"Merci," Kess replied, "Gymnastics is one of those things I love but don't do very often. It gets boring all alone," she laughed.

"I know what you mean," Jamie replied, "Hey I was thinking, try this routine with me. You stand at that end of the room and I'll stand over here. Let's do a round-off, a back-handspring, and say…a double back-flip, then back to the handspring and finish with the round-off. If we do it at the same time it'll look so awesome!"

"That sounds rad," Kess agreed. They took their positions and tried it once. It took a few times but soon they had the routine down so well Jamie suggested they try out for the Olympics. "Yeah the first mutants to win a gold, I love it," Kess said. They continued their routine tweaking and changing different parts of it.

Just then Peter, John, Logan, and Scott came in applauding, "Don't you two ever get tired of surprising and amazing people?" John asked.

The girls smiled wide at each other, "Do you get tired of it Jamie?" Kess asked.

"No, Kess can't say that I do," she answered. The guys laughed and the rest of the class entered.

Logan got serious and began his class, "The lesson for today is balance and freestyle maneuvers. Since you're not going to fight each other we're taking a field trip to the Danger Room. Follow me." He led them down the hall into the Danger Room Control Room, a small room that looked out onto a huge exercise room filled with all types of machinery and obstacles. "Alright," he said, "Now you're each going to take a turn to go in there and have a go. The control is on level one for most of you, but I'll move it up accordingly. Anyone want to go first?" Kess raised her hand immediately with an excited look on her face. "Ok Kess get down there and show the newbies how it's done. What level did you finish at last time?"

"Ten," Kess answered and hurried out of the room when Logan had moved the lever to eleven. She came out into the Danger Room in her snake form and waved to Logan.

"Git r done, Medusa," he said over the intercom system and Kess got limber. Logan started the Training Program and metal discs came flying at her, she jumped and ducked; kicked and avoided them as they flew at her. Next a robotic dummy came and she freestyle fought with it. Her movements were quick and liquid; she seemed to put no effort into it at all. The dummy didn't last long because within minutes she had shredded most of it to pieces by use of her razor sharp claws. Spikes stuck out of the wall and when the floor beneath Kess began to move she climbed easily up the spikes. Suddenly the points below her began to disappear back into the wall and she leapt far into the room just as the spike she stood on faded back into the wall. She landed perfectly doing a somersault because she was in motion. This earned her an "Ooo," from the Control Room.

"That's enough for now, Kess, you can finish later," Logan's voice said from over the intercom. The machinery shut down and Kess returned upstairs. She walked back into the control center, still in Medusa form, with a sassy smile on her face. "Good work," Logan said.

"It was nothing," she said. She was obviously proud of herself and the impact she had made. Everyone but the adults, John, Jamie, and Peter were flabbergasted; they had never seen Kess fight before.

"Yeah sure," Matt said, even though he was just as shocked as the others. One of Kess' snakes hissed close to his face and he almost fell over in surprise.

"That's my girl," John said putting his arm around her. The snake that had hissed at Matt tickled John's ear with its tongue, making him laugh. Kess smiled and her skin changed back to its natural hue and the snake became sleek black hair again.

Logan smiled and shook his head, "Kess I'm going to invent a program that will outdo even your speed and agility," he said.

"Not possible," Kess replied simply, getting a laugh from the class.

Logan laughed too and then said, "Alright who's next?" Peter raised his hand this time but Logan waved him down. "Oh no Pete you'll get in there, tear the place up, and no one else will get a turn. You're going last."

"Aw you never let me have any fun," Peter complained.

Everyone laughed and Logan turned to Jamie, "How about you kid? Want a go?" he asked.

Jamie grinned and replied, "Hell Yeah!" she said. "It looks easy enough." Jamie had never been in the Danger Room and she was excited to test her stuff. She left the Control Room and Logan set the lever to five. He knew what her abilities were and even though she had never experienced the Danger Room, he was confident that she would give the system a run for its money. Even though she was capable, however, Logan couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension in his gut. Jamie stepped into the center of the room. It was bigger than she had thought it would be. Everything was silver and shiny, huge machines were everywhere. She looked up to the Control Room and said loudly, "Can I listen to some music while I do this?" she asked.

"Why?" Logan asked confused.

"It helps me relax," she answered in all seriousness.

"I guess so," Logan replied over the intercom. '_Helps her relax huh?'_ Logan thought,' _that's the same reason I listen to music in here. She's more like me everyday'._ He fumbled with the radio switch until it settled on the local rock station. The song "Bullets" by Creed had just begun and Jamie smiled because it was one of her favorite songs.

"Ready?" Logan yelled, Jamie nodded, "Go!"

Then the fun began, every move she made was perfectly in sync with the beat of the song. She was truly on fire; she out maneuvered everything that came at her. She was doing so well Logan moved it up to level seven. The song kept her on edge and as she fought everyone watched in awe. As similar as she was in powers to Logan watching her fight was nothing like watching Logan. She was more like a cat while Wolverine moved in a manner that was uncouth. Jamie had a clear touch of feminine grace in her style.

She had been fighting for almost eight minutes when an evil idea formed in Matt's greasy head. He whispered to one of his friends who nodded and moved over to the door, hitting the fire alarm. The alarm started blaring and Logan had to run to the alarm to shut it off. While he did so Matt moved to the control panel and pushed the lever that determined the severity of the session to level 20, a level not even Logan had entirely mastered. Because of the confusion no one could say for sure that Matt had pushed the lever, and honestly no one had noticed.

"Jamie!" Kess yelled when suddenly she realized what was happening. Jamie stood in the middle of the room and everything seemed to move in slow motion. She listened to the first few seconds of the song. "I've told you this/Once before/Can't control me/If you/Try to take me down/You're going to break". It was her song, the lyrics were written for her. No one could have control over her. Like a wild horse, her spirit could not be broken; anyone who tried would be ruined.

Logan saw what was happening when Kess yelled. He tried to turn off the system but Matt had jammed the lever and even Logan could not loosen it without breaking it. When those attempts failed Logan ran to the door but because of the fire alarm the door had locked itself. The Control Room was fireproof and therefore safer in the event of arson. He tried breaking the door down, but his claws couldn't penetrate it fast enough. All they could was stand by and watch in terror as the Danger Room adapted to the new command and went haywire. Without warning the lights went out and no one could see anything.

Jamie knew everything that had happened, how Matt had sabotaged her training run, and rage began to fill her mind, body, and soul. Just before the lights went out Jamie's eyes blackened over and she let out a scream that silenced the commotion in the Control Room. All that could be seen of Jamie was the bright flashes and sprinkling of sparks. Metal against metal sang through the air and when the lights finally came back on the sight was astonishing. Jamie had entirely demolished the Danger Room. It was in only a matter of minutes that she had destroyed everything that crossed her path. Machinery lay in ruins all across the room; some of it was still sparking and twitching like the severed tail of a lizard. She stood silently in the midst of her destruction still breathing heavily and dripping in sweat. Her sweat mixed with lines of blood dripping from flesh wounds she had gotten during the black out. She was no longer screaming and she stood very calm but with rage that had pushed her to the brink still coursing through her veins. Everyone in the Control Room was quiet though the same thought was in their minds, "What happened?"

After he had recovered from shock, "And you say I wreck the Danger Room," Peter said to break the silence. Logan couldn't answer in words and he let out a sound that was interpreted as a laugh.

The professor said to Logan telepathically, '_I think we are going to have to have a talk with Jamie. There's something desperately wrong. Her mind is so angry and confused it could be harmful for her.'_

'_Yeah I'm worried too Charles, I have an overwhelming sense of Sabertooth again,'_ Logan replied. Just then the door to the Control Room opened and Jamie stood in the doorway. She wasn't breathing hard but the look on her face made everyone hope they weren't on her bad list. Her fists were clenched and her eyes were entirely black. Her muscles were flexed to the max and her features said 'touch me and die' for her mouth. She walked across the room headed for Matt.

"Jamie?" Kess whispered when he passed, but Jamie gave no indication of recognition.

She continued walking and that's when Matt made the biggest mistake of his life. He smiled and snickered, "Rough time Jamie?"

The rest of the room moved out of her way and surrounded Matt and Jamie. She stared at him for a moment and the cocky smile faded from his face. In a flash Jamie's hand was around his neck and Matt was pinned against the wall. His feet dangled a few inches from the floor.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he rasped out as her grip tightened. No one moved toward them and Matt was too scared to move at all; every time he moved her grip got tighter. He didn't dare use his powers because he knew he wasn't a match for Jamie.

Then Jamie spoke. Her voice was deep, fierce, and almost unearthly; everyone shuttered. "I'm going to say this once so pay attention. You had better watch your back, cause if you're not careful," she slashed out her claws only inches from his face, "these will be in it." Jamie dropped Matt to the ground where he sat rubbing the indents on his throat. Had she held on a few more seconds his wind pipe would have been crushed.

Jamie turned and began to walk back towards the door. Like the Red Sea before Moses, the room parted to let Jamie through. The professor stopped her and said, "Jamie may I have a word with you?" Jamie turned and nodded and followed the professor as he wheeled out.

"Class dismissed," Logan said and he turned to follow Charles. Peter moved to go too, but Logan stopped him with his hand. "No Pete, stay with the other students. We don't know what she'll do and you can't be in danger." Peter frowned and dropped his head. "I'll keep you updated and I'll come and get you when you can see her," Logan patted his shoulder and left. Peter stood with Kess and John as the rest of the room began to chatter excitedly. John made a move to pat Peter's back in comfort but Peter just let out an angry growl of anguish and stormed out of the room. Kess and John looked at each other and walked out too. They went to the living room that was fortunately empty and silent. Lightning flashed outside and they realized what a stormy day it was, both inside and outside the mansion. They hadn't followed Peter because they both knew he needed to be alone.

"What do you think happened to her?" Kess asked concerned about her friend.

"I'm not sure," John answered. They sat down on a couch and stared into the fireplace that smoldered lightly.

"Everything was fine, we were laughing, excited about tonight, she was happy to get a chance to train in the Danger Room, and all of a sudden it changed," Kess said in disbelief.

"It was Matt you know? He has entirely ruined the day, and who knows what kind of damage he's done to her."

"I swear he's not going to get away with this anymore. He needs to be put in his place," Kess almost yelled in anger.

"I know, I know, but there's also Peter to worry about. I'm afraid he'll take matters into his own hands. And you know fragile things, like Matt's skeleton, don't do well in Pete's hands." Kess nodded and sighed in agreement.

Downstairs, levels below the main mansion, Jamie stood behind a thick layer of bullet proof glass. The set-up resembled an FBI interrogation room because the professor, Logan, and Scott could see her even though she could not see them.

"Professor, are you sure this is really necessary?" Scott asked.

"Yes Scott, apparently something during this ordeal brought something angry and violent out of Jamie, and until we know how to defuse it we have to be cautious," the professor said. He turned to the window to look at Jamie. _I'm not sure I want to know what went wrong. I have a feeling this is going to open a big can of worms._

"Logan, why don't you try talking to her? I think she'll respond better to you than to me," the Professor said after a few minutes.

Logan, who had been leaning against the back wall watching Jamie, nodded and walked over to the microphone. "Jamie," he said. Jamie didn't make any move to show she had heard him. "Jamie what are you really mad at?" The way he spoke was loving and almost brotherly.

Jamie still stood silently in the room but after a few moments, just before Logan turned off the mic, she quietly said, "Everything."

Logan shut off the mic and left the observation control room for the room where Jamie stood. He walked up close to her so only she could hear him. He looked hard into her eyes, searching desperately for the girl he knew, but it was like she was wearing a mask. "Talk to me kid," he said softly. His voice was sincere and worried.

Jamie blinked and looked up into his eyes, "You wouldn't understand," she said, her voice dripping with venom, "so go to hell!" she lashed out. She pushed him with all her strength and he went flying backwards into the glass. The only thing separating Scott and the professor from an angry Jamie was now cracked. The force from Jamie's push had almost broken the glass. Logan stood up from the floor and left the room. He wasn't angry but he was terribly disappointed he hadn't been able to reach her.

_Looks like you failed_, he said to himself. _She's family and you can't even help her._ Inside he felt depressed because even though they had a special brother/sister relationship he felt he had let her down. He reentered the observation control room looking defeated.

"Maybe we should bring Kess down," Xavier mused.

"I don't think so," Logan replied, "She doesn't want family right now. She's too confused. Kess would be in danger."

"Professor," Scott said, "I have an idea. Why don't you let me go in and try to talk to her?"

Logan let out a sharp laugh which was odd because it took a lot to make him laugh. "What makes you think she'll listen to you? You're not that charming," he said on the verge of laughing again.

"Well yeah Logan, but I can see in the dark too. Maybe she won't be so hostile if I can see her and she knows I can see her," Scott said with defiant confidence.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," the professor started.

"Oh come on professor let him go, I'm curious to see how this turns out," Logan interrupted with a fake smile on his face.

"Very well," said the professor said even though he was still uneasy.

"It'll be fine professor, just turn out the lights 10 seconds after I'm in," Scott said. He left the observation room and stood outside the door where Jamie awaited him.

He was collecting his thoughts when Logan yelled, "Going in today Shades?"

_Here goes,_ he thought and walked inside.

John sat on his bed in the room he shared with Peter. Peter was standing at the window looking outside but it was obvious he wasn't seeing the gardens. Kess had gone to talk to Jean and John wanted to stay with his friend.

"I don't know what happened," Peter said quietly, "It's that Matt. He just…." He trailed off in anger.

John stood up and walked to the window, he was tall but still not as tall as Peter. "Don't think about him, Pete," John said with a serious tone, "You don't want to do anything you're going to regret." Peter looked at John who held his gaze until Peter turned away. John may not be as imposing as Peter but he commanded respect and attention when he wanted to. Peter knew that and always listened to John.

"I know," Peter sighed, trying to exhale his anger, "I just…It's what he does to Jamie."

"Jamie's a big girl Peter," John said, "And she can handle herself. You do more for her in support than anything else. She loves you unconditionally and she respects you. And she'll respect you even more if you keep your calm. Don't let Matt get to you, then he wins."

Peter nodded and was about to reply but he heard the Professor's voice in his head and was out of the room before John could blink.

Jamie stood opposite of Scott and after ten seconds he saw her smirk slightly when the lights went out. Even though his visor gave him infrared vision he suddenly couldn't see her anywhere. "You're not afraid of the dark are you?" Jamie said, though her voice seemed to come from all around him he still couldn't see her. "You'd better close your eyes," she said. Scott quickly closed his eyes and quite suddenly the lights came back on. Logan and the professor had heard what Jamie said and felt it was time to stop taking chances. Their choice was a good one because when they looked into the room Jamie stood next to Scott with his visor in one hand and her claws only two centimeters from his side. "Next time send in someone who doesn't wear the smell of fear," she said. She smirked again and without entirely knowing it Logan did too.

Scott received his visor and returned to the observation control room. "Maybe you should be afraid of the dark," Logan said with a chuckle.

Just then the door opened and Peter rushed in. "Ah Peter thank you for coming," the professor said.

"How is she?" asked Peter with all concern.

The professor's face became grave, "None of us can reach her Peter," he said.

Peter paused with his head down, then he raised it with a serious look on his face, "Let me try," he said and he walked out of the room before anyone could oppose him. He walked into the room with Jamie and his heart dropped to his feet. Jamie was looking at him, but with someone else's eyes. The eyes she wore now led into a dark, empty soul Peter had never seen before. What disturbed him was not her soul, but the fact that a problem plagued Jamie that he was unable to see, much less solve. Suddenly the power went out as a huge clap of thunder shook the building. Jamie could see Peter in the dark and found it odd that he hadn't changed to his Colossus form. He only stood there looking for her. Unlike she had with Scott, she was unable to catch the scent of fear on Peter, only concern.

"You're not afraid are you?" she asked perplexed.

"No I'm not Jamie, I'm not afraid because I know this isn't you," Peter replied.

"Why aren't you defending yourself with your armor?"

"Because I don't want to fight you," he paused, "Jamie I just want to help you." Even though he knew he could be only moments from death he wasn't afraid. In the dark or in the light it didn't matter; he had to help Jamie. He was confident that she knew him and he could help her. He wasn't afraid of the dark.

"Why?" Jamie asked.

Without hesitation Peter replied, "Because I love you". The room was silent except for Jamie's breath and the distant pounding of the rain. After a few shouts from the floors above the power came back on in the observation control room, however the room where Jamie and Peter stood was still dark. Storm hurried into the observation control room where Logan and the Professor listened intently. Even though the microphone was on nothing was heard from Jamie or Peter.

"Do you think something happened?" Storm asked the professor.

Logan turned on the lights in the dark room but Jamie and Peter were gone. Storm gasped when she saw the empty room and the broken glass, but the professor eased their concern, "Don't worry they'll be back," he said.

Jamie and Peter ran across the grounds, through the Japanese gardens as heavy rain soaked them to the bone. They found a pavilion to hide under as shelter from the down pour. They stood there, breathing hard for a few moments after their sprint.

"Jamie, what's going on? What happened to you?" Peter asked between his breaths. Water dripped from his hair into his eyes and he blinked it away. His white t-shirt was soaking wet and was now almost see-through. He wiped the rain off his face and looked at Jamie as if to say 'talk to me, you know you can. Let me help you'.

Jamie stood a few feet away from Peter, just as wet as he was. Her back was to him, but he knew she was crying. A few loose tears mixed with the rain that ran down her face. She turned to face him, searching his eyes for the words that would describe how she felt, but nothing was found. She hung her head in despair and cried. Peter rushed over to her and put his arms around her. He held her tight and his embrace was warm despite the cold rain because the warmth emanated from his heart not his body.

Through her tears Jamie spoke haltingly, "I don't know how to explain it. I just hate him so much". She was so upset she blurted out anything she felt.

"Don't worry," he consoled her, "I won't ever let Matt come near you again".

"No, no, not him, "Jamie cried, "my father".

"Your father?" he said shocked Jamie had never talked about her father and he did not expect to hear that kind of hate from her.

"I think it was my father," she sobbed, "he would always make me do terrible things. He'd send me into buildings to kill people. It was horrible, and so dark. They couldn't see me but I could see them," she paused to let more tears come out. Peter stayed silent and rubbed her back as she continued. "I saw their faces so full of fear. I can remember the way they looked when…I…I knew what I was doing, but I…I couldn't stop…I." Tears came like a monsoon now. Peter held her tighter, as tightly as he could without crushing her. "I just hate the dark," she choked out, "because I become something I don't want to be. Like a wild animal I can't control. I just feel so empty and angry, so alone." Peter put his hand under her chin and raised her face so she could look into his eyes.

Even at a time like this she still looked gorgeous. Her wet hair and tank made her look even more real and beautiful. He could finally see her soul because she wore it on her face in the rain. _She sure looks good wet_, Peter though, smiling on the inside. "From now on you'll never have to face the dark alone," he said, "I promise." He looked deep into her eyes that were still black. The true sincerity of his voice touched her inside and she smiled. She believed what he said about never being alone and she was comforted by it. Then Peter leaned down and kissed her for what seemed to be heaven for them. Suddenly everything had stopped; all the unimportant bits of life melted away. The thunder was hushed and the lightning halted in its place. Their cold wet clothes were no longer a discomfort while they kissed. For those few moments everything was alright again.

Their kiss ended and Peter parted from her. He opened his eyes but Jamie remained in his arms with her eyes closed. She let his love sink in and diminish her rage. When she opened her eyes to look at Peter they changed again. They were still black but the iris and pupils had changed. Her dark pupils were surrounded by bright yellow and vivid red. The new colors stood out distinctly from the dark black. "What's wrong? Jamie asked when she saw the confusion on Peter's face.

"Your eyes," he said, "they've changed again."

"What?" she asked perplexed. Peter changed into his Colossus form so she could see herself in the mirror-like metal plates. "Oh great," she sighed, "What did they look like before?"

"They were just black," he answered, "kind of like you had no eyes at all."

"Well that's just peachy. I wish they would stay one way. One time they changed my whole retina yellow," she explained.

Just then Kess and John came out. "You know, next time you want to be spontaneous and in the rain, take and umbrella," John yelled sarcastically. "Hey can we have a wet t-shirt contest sometimes?" John asked Kess after seeing Peter and Jamie.

"You're such a guy," Kess said and rolled her eyes even though she smiled. John tossed a towel to Peter who began to dry himself off. Kess wrapped a blanket around a shivering Jamie and noticed her newly acquired eye color. "Oh my God, Jamie! Your eyes are awesome! I want some!" she exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh.

"I love your eyes just as they are," John said and Kess blushed.

"Thanks," Jamie said to Kess, she wasn't used to praise, especially praise of something that, to her, seemed so bad.

"So do you want to start getting ready in my room or yours?" Kess asked Jamie.

"Ready for what? Oh, the dance, right, but it's still early," Jamie said.

"Sweetheart it's 4:00, the dance starts at 7:00," Kess reminded her.

"Well yeah, but do we really need three hours to get ready?" Jamie questioned.

Kess just looked at Jamie, "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

John chuckled to himself because he knew he could translate what Kess was thinking. "That would be a yes Jamie," he said and he flashed a grin to Kess who returned it.

The group started walking back to the mansion; Peter holding an umbrella for Jamie while John sheltered Kess and himself with another. When they got back inside the professor and the other adults were waiting. "Jamie could we speak in my study?" the professor asked.

"Sure professor," Jamie said brightly. She had started feeling like her old self again and her cheerful answer almost startled Scott; the last time he saw her he was literally centimeters from death. "Kess I'll meet you in your room in a minute alright?"

"No problem, but don't be too long. I need time to make you fabulous!" Kess replied with a smile.

"Come on fashion queen, you can help me get ready. You know, make sure everything is to your liking," John said sarcastically. He put a warm arm around Kess' shoulder.

"What?" Kess glared at him.

"Oh you know you're picky," he said in defense of his comment. Kess continued to glare. "Oh come on you," he said. Kess let herself be dragged down the hall. "You know you want me to look fabulous too."

"Hey I'm not a miracle worker," Kess said. They laughed all down the hall disturbing others who were trying to get ready for the dance.

As John and Kess disappeared Peter made no move to follow. He stood firmly beside Jamie, determined not to leave her. Her small hand sat nestled inside his large one. The professor waited until the hall was free of laughter and quiet once again. "You may come too Peter," the professor said. "We can't have you breaking your promise now can we?"

"No sir we can't," Peter smiled down at Jamie and proceeded to follow her and the professor.

They started towards the professor's office when Jamie stopped. "Wait," she said. She turned and Logan was walking towards the garage. "Logan," she called. Logan stopped and turned around. "Maybe you can help me figure this out," she said. Logan looked hesitant but Jamie looked him in the eyes. "Please," she said quietly, "I promise I won't throw you into a wall this time," she smiled in a girlish way.

"Sounds good to me," Logan smiled. "Nice eyes, by the way," he said as he followed Jamie. He felt like he had real family for the first time. They were connected in a way that was deeper than the bond he shared with the other mutants. Because their pasts were intertwined, their futures were destined to be the same. Logan was Jamie's Big Brother figure and he would be there to protect her from anything he could.

In Xavier's study the professor sat at his desk. Peter sat on the couch by the window and Logan, as always, stood on the back wall. Jamie sat in a chair by the professor's desk. "Why don't you start by explaining what happened before Jamie," the professor said.

"Well like I said, I lived in Canada but before I was on my own I lived with my father, well fathers, like I told Kess. There was one man, who I don't remember very well, and another. He was the man who had me do terrible things. He forced me to go into dark buildings and…and…" Jamie trailed off as the memories came back and her eyes began to well up again.

"It's ok Jamie," Peter said, he stood up and set a hand on her shoulder.

"Jamie," the professor said soothingly, "we won't judge you for anything you may have done unknowingly or were forced to do. Don't worry you can be entirely honest."

Jamie nodded, smiled, and continued, "He forced me to go into buildings, dark ones, and kill the people inside. I could smell the fear in them. In the dark it's like I became another person. I'm a murderer," she said despairingly at her realization

"No you aren't Jamie," the professor reassured her," someone abused your gift and used you for evil purposes. There was nothing you could do to control it."

"Do you remember what this man looked like Jamie?" Logan asked seriously. He had started pacing when Jamie told them about her past.

"Well he was old and had grey hair, but after a little while my memories get blurry. I can't remember a lot and I can't describe him very well."

"What about the buildings? Do you remember where they were?" he asked.

"No Logan and could you stop pacing it's making me nervous," Jamie said, slightly annoyed at his continual walking.

"Sorry," he said and he sat down. He hadn't noticed his pacing. "Do you know why this man would send you into the places?"

"I have no idea," Jamie said seriously.

At this the professor decided to bring the discussion to a close. "Well I think that's enough for now. We'll worry about this later. This is supposed to be a fun night for you. Don't think about this morning at all." The professor dismissed them but stopped Logan as he was leaving. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I don't know. Out for a bit, I'm not sure. Why?" he added suspiciously.

"Well Logan," the professor smiled, "we need chaperones for this evening."

Logan groaned, "Are you kidding me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Not at all Logan. I'll see you at 6:30; we need the chaperones there a little earlier."

Logan rolled his eyes, reminding the professor of a little boy whose playful afternoon plans were ended by the chore of cleaning his room. Logan left and the professor started some paperwork. Down the hall, out of hearing distance, Jamie and Peter shared a laugh. At his desk the professor smiled and let out a chuckle himself.

"You look like you need a nap," Peter said to Jamie as they walked back to their rooms.

"Oh I'm fine," she said, but her sentence was interrupted by a lengthy yawn. She was more tired than she realized, even though it was still fairly early in the day so much had happened that a nap was the right kind of medicine. Peter stopped as Jamie yawned and in an effortless swoop he picked her up in his arms. "I'm fine Peter, really," Jamie giggled, but her words faded and she fell asleep in his strong arms. The morning was so filled with physical and emotional stress; the overload had taken its toll. Peter turned down the busy student hall where everyone was running in and out of each other's rooms looking for missing ties and borrowing different accessories. He walked carefully down the hall being sure not to wake Jamie. He turned another corner where Jamie's room was; there he knocked on Kess' door lightly.

Kess opened her door and she was in her bathrobe and halfway through her makeup. "Hey," Peter said.

"Hey, what happened?" Kess asked quietly.

"She fell asleep while we were walking here," Peter replied.

"That's not surprising; she's had quite a long day. Since the morning was so rough she can sleep for a little while. I can get her ready then," Kess concluded. She opened Jamie's door for Peter who walked in and closed the door behind him. He set Jamie down on her bed and pulled the covers over her. He removed her shoes and watched her roll over and get comfortable.

"Looks like you could use a nap yourself, big guy," John said. He walked into the room through the bathroom door. He had been sitting in Kess' room as she got ready. "You shouldn't worry so much about her, you'll make yourself sick. She's tough you don't have to protect her all the time." He walked close to Kess and slid his arms around her shoulders and she moved her head to the side so it rested next to his.

Peter sat on the bed next to Jamie and he didn't take his eyes from her, "You'd be the same way if this happened to Kess, John." He moved a piece of hair out of her face.

"Not really, I don't really even like her that much," John said with nothing but sarcasm in his voice.

John didn't even have to see Kess to know the look he was getting. "You're lucky I know you don't mean that," Kess said, "or there would be one poisonous snake in your bed." She was semi-serious though she wore a grin John couldn't see.

"Aw my girlfriend the snake charmer, I love it," he said and he leaned forward to kiss Kess on the cheek.

After Kess and John had gone back to Kess' room Peter decided to stay with Jamie. He walked around to the other side of her bed and lay down next to her on top of the covers. He watched her dream as her expression changed with whatever went on in her mind. Sometimes it was soft and content and other times it was agitated or disturbed. _Just like the real world,_ he thought, _sometimes it's happy and sometimes it's not so great._

Two hours later Kess returned to Jamie's room to see if she had woken up. She thought she had stepped into a movie; Jamie was snuggled close to Peter's chest her head just under his right arm while his left draped over her tiny frame. She left and came back with John, "See they have all the fun," he said, "a wet t-shirt contest AND cuddling! And don't say I am such a guy, because I'm not the only one. There are millions of us and we all want the same thing, we just want some lovin'," he looked at Kess who rolled her eyes but couldn't stop a smile.

"Just go start getting ready you drama king," she said and giggled. She pushed him through the bathroom and out of her door.

"Fine I'll see you later my queen," he said and in a swift motion he wrapped his arms around Kess, dipped her, and finished with a kiss.

Kess walked back to Jamie's room and poked Peter in the side. She whispered, "Time to wake up," in his ear but he didn't move. "I really hate to do this," Kess said and she grabbed the alarm clock on Jamie's desk and hit the alarm button. It went off loudly making Jamie and Peter both groan with distaste for waking. "Come on guys get up. It's party time and I still need to turn this combat boot into a glass slipper."

Peter finally left and Jamie took a shower, "What are we going to do first?" she called from the bathroom.

"Hair, makeup, nails, dress, accessories I think," Kess called back. Jamie got out of the shower and into a bathrobe and Dr. Fashion Miracle went to work. Kess was already dressed in her dress, her hair was done down and long pulled to one side with a pink jeweled clip so part of her hair was in her eyes. The dress looked even better than it had in the store the necklace, earrings, and makeup were all so perfect even Jamie couldn't get over it. _John is one lucky guy_, she thought to herself. Jamie sat down and Kess went to work on her hair. Her hair hung short in pieces and with a little out-flip. "Gorgeous," Kess said. Next she did Jamie's makeup. "Ok, light green on the lids dark green on the crease. Great eye-shadow job Doctor," Kess said to herself and Jamie laughed. She added some blush to her cheeks and a light amount of rosebush lipstick. Finally Kess did Jamie's nails in a dark emerald polish and Jamie put on her dress. Like Kess', it looked even better the second time on. "Oh Jamie, you look so good and we're not even done yet," Kess said.

"Not as good as you," Jamie replied and Kess laughed. Kess fixed her earrings and arm bands and they came down to the final detail. "Shoes," Jamie said.

"Shoes," Kess repeated, "shoes are the best part of the ensemble. It's a good thing you shopped with me." Jamie put on her shoes and Kess stepped back to see her handiwork. "It's just not fair," she sighed.

"What's not fair?" Jamie asked.

Kess smiled and turned Jamie around so she could see herself in the full length mirror. "That I am this good," she exclaimed as Jamie stared at herself in amazement. Jamie's eyes began to water up she was so happy. "Hey now don't ruin my makeup job," Kess said to keep the tears from coming.

Jamie turned around and hugged Kess tightly, "Thank you so much! This make-over out did any other."

"Come on girl let's go knock 'em out."

They left Kess' room for the dining room where the dance was being held. It was decorated like a celebrity hall. The lights were dark and no music was playing. Everyone was dressed to the occasion; it looked like the Golden Globes or the Oscars. People had started arriving at seven and Jamie and Kess got to the doors at seven thirty. The actual music hadn't started yet so everyone there was just checking out what others were wearing and who was with whom. At the door was a booth for Queen and King voting. Jamie and Kess each took their turn to vote.

Allie arrived at the door, nudging Kess and Jamie out of her way as she walked to the door, "Excuse me." The door opened to a set of ballroom stairs that led to the dance floor. From the DJ's table a set of spotlights were on the door, framing the door so each person was in the spotlight as they walked in. Allie stood at the top of the stairs and room's chatter went silent. Allie thought she was the prettiest girl in the school, but some would argue that point. She was wearing a light pink ballroom dress that was strapless. Her blonde hair was in an up-do and she thought she was the belle of the ball. She smiled convinced that the silence was for her superior beauty. Her thoughts were solidified when John and Peter walked up the stairs, their eyes captured by the beauty before them. The guys reached the top of the stairs where Allie stood, "I knew you'd come back around to me Peter," Allie said with confidence. However, shock, embarrassment, and jealous rage overtook her when Peter and John passed her. She was astounded that they passed her without even acknowledging her; as if she didn't exist. Allie's personality was one that made her think she was the only person on earth, and if others didn't think the same way she was livid. She turned around to see what John and Peter were looking at.

"Hello ladies," John said and he offered his arm to Kess who took it. Peter did the same for Jamie. Kess and Jamie had just arrived behind Allie and the silence was for them. They looked like dangerous angels at the top of the stairs. They walked down the steps and the Earth seemed to stop spinning. Jamie looked like a sassy secret agent action star and Kess was what Cleopatra would have looked like had she gone to a Fall Formal. They were different from everyone else and the most beautiful, bright stars there. As they descended the stairs the silence was broken by hoots and whistles and clapping and cheering. The other students acted as if they were real movie starts coming down to their level.

Once Peter, Jamie, John, and Kess had reached dance floor the Student Council went to the stage. Jubilee calmed the crowd, "Okay guys it's time to get this dance started!" The students cheered again. The DJ started the music and the lights went entirely out. Everyone began dancing and Jamie lost sight of Kess. She hadn't realized the most important thing; she didn't know how to dance. Jamie was also nervous about the darkness but Peter wrapped his arms around her when he saw her expression.

"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear, "I'm here and nothing but good things are going to happen tonight."

Jamie smiled, "Good," she said and they started dancing. She followed Peter's movements and was having the time of her life. All around them others were dancing up a storm. When they were dancing nothing was wrong and the music could take them anywhere they wanted to be. A few rap songs played and then a slow song came on afterwards. Peter held Jamie close and they danced oblivious to everyone else. Jamie closed her eyes but before she did she saw Kess and John in a similar embrace, John was softly singing the words to Kess and Jamie could tell Kess was melting in his arms.

The lights came back on, though not all the way, and Jubilee got back on stage. "Alright, it's time to announce the winners."

"Alright guys settle down," Scott said into the microphone. The students quieted down and let Jubilee continue.

"Ok the winner of Best Dressed goes to…" Jean opened the envelope and handed it to Jubilee, "Kess Creed and John Fuller!" The crowd clapped and cheered as Kess and John took the stage. Jean handed Kess a long stemmed pink rose and small tiara and she beamed. John was just happy to have Kess on his arm. It wasn't a surprise that they had won, Kess was shinning like the moon in her gown and John's pinstripe suit was cut perfectly for him. He could have been Brad Pitt.

"Way to go Kess!" Jamie shouted from the crowd, Peter clapped along with her. John and Kess looked at each other with love and stood off to the side of the stage so Jubilee could announce the next winners.

"Cutest Couple goes to… Bobby Drake and Rogue," the crowd applauded and Rogue received a prize similar to Kess' and they stood off to the side as well. "And finally," she continued once the crowd has quieted, "the winner of King and Queen is..." Jean opened the envelope and smiled. Allie, who was standing in the back, knew she would win and began walking towards the stage. "Peter Rasputin and Jamie Logan!" The crowd went wild with applause as Jamie and Peter walked to the stage. Jamie looked confused but followed Peter when he took her hand. On stage Peter received a crown from Scott and Jamie received hers from Jean along with a dozen red roses and a sash. They turned towards the crowd who didn't let up.

Kess ran over to Jamie and gave her a hug, "You look so fabulous, you're the prettiest Queen yet," she said.

"Well until you are Queen," Jamie replied.

"I'll stick with Best Dressed," Kess said, "I had Queen last year, too much responsibility." The stage was decorated with streamers and lights and plastic icicles to match the winter theme. Jamie and Peter stood and waved and Jamie turned red.

"Alright, now the King and Queen will share a spotlight dance," Jean said.

Jamie and Peter walked to the center of the dance floor. "Well this is something I'm not used to," Jamie said, "all this attention." She put her arms on Peter's shoulders and he put his around her waist.

"Well that's what you get for being the most drop dead gorgeous girl in this school, baby girl," Peter said. He looked down at Jamie and flashed a grin. Jamie looked up at Peter and before she turned her eyes to him she was nervous, but once she looked into his eyes her nervousness was all gone and she was content and peaceful again. For the rest of the song he didn't look away from her and she didn't look away from him. They danced across waters and clouds and night skies, neither of them wanting the song or evening to end.

_This is perfect,_ Jamie thought. Peter hugged her close as the song ended and another hip hop song came on. Jamie and Peter danced the night away until one when they were forced out of the room along with John and Kess.

"There's nothing I like more than a night full of dancing and memories," Kess said, "Speaking of which, we didn't get any pictures of the night."

"Kess, it's one thirty and you want to take pictures?" John said.

"Yes and you're going to do what I say aren't you?"

"Of course muffin, I always will," he said and kissed her cheek.

Kess took a picture of the Prom King and Queen then a picture of Jamie, Peter, John and Peter, herself and Jamie, John, and herself. "Well I think that covers all the bases, oh wait," Kess ran over to Allie who was just coming out of the room alone, "Hey Allie could you do us a favor, could you take a picture of the four of us outside the doorway. Thanks." Kess handed Allie the camera, who looked like she might explode with rage and posed with her friends for two pictures. Allie handed her back the camera and took off down the hall mumbling to herself. "Hmm, you'd think she was upset about something," Kess said sarcastically.

They went back to their rooms and each guy kissed his girl goodnight. "This has been absolutely perfect Jamie, I'll see you in the morning," Peter said. Jamie nodded and they went to bed.

"Night lovely lady," John said to Kess and she gave him a grin and they each parted as well.

"Well Jamie I think this has been just about the best night ever, what do you think?" Kess asked her after they had showered and gotten into pajamas. Kess was just brushing out her hair and Jamie was washing her face.

"I think you're right, Kess. And I think that from now on everything will be just fine," Jamie replied.

"That's good Jamie, because tomorrow I'm going to teach you how to play the guitar. Goodnight," with that Kess went to bed and Jamie went into her room. The night had been so perfect that try as she might she couldn't fall asleep. She had too much energy and too many thoughts going on inside her head. She finally decided that the best remedy to sleeplessness was a chocolate muffin from the kitchen. She went downstairs walking quietly so as not to disturb her sleeping peers or the last two stragglers who had realized that making out at two in the morning was not what they had thought and decided to go to bed. In the kitchen she found Logan sitting at the table.

"Fancy meeting you here," she said to him and sat down with her muffin.

"You looked pretty great out there kiddo," Logan said. "I must admit you were the prettiest girl there."

"Well thanks Logan that means a lot coming from you."

"I guess you didn't let this morning get to you after all, that's good. Because then our decision might not have turned out so well," he said and looked away.

"What decision? And who are you conspiring with?" Jamie asked.

Logan smiled, "Peter and I thought we should nominate you for Prom Queen, and it looks like it worked."

"Oh you!" Jamie said and she gave Logan a hug. "Thanks for looking out for me Logan; you're like a brother or something. I'm glad I have you." Logan nodded and Jamie went off to bed smiling with a content heart, head, and stomach. When she reached her room she fell asleep right away, and dreamed about all the fun she would have the next.


	7. Road Rage

**A New Home**

**Chapter 7: Road Rage**

"Whoa!" John said as Jamie's punch grazed the hairs of his chin. Each time she got closer and closer to his face. "Hey don't take it out on me. I can't help that Pete's been gone for two weeks on a mission." He ducked again to avoid another cut. Kess and Peter had left to go with the X-men and Jamie was restless. She missed Peter and felt lost without her best friend. Though she knew Peter could take care of himself she was still worried. She wasn't used to such a long absence; Peter had been gone before for this or that, but never for two weeks.

"Hey, I can't help that I miss him," Jamie replied. "I get nervous when he goes on a mission, I'm afraid that something could happen to him." Though her face was serious for the fight a hint of worry was evident in her deep eyes. They both stopped fighting, each panting. Though John was a telepath and had no added physical strength because of his mutation he was still an amazing fighter. His lean, slender frame was deceiving and often times it worked to his advantage. "Man, you're quite the workout," Jamie laughed as they left the training room.

John just gave her a sarcastic laugh. "I hope Peter doesn't ever leave again for this long," he said.

"Don't you go on the missions too John? Why not this time?" Jamie asked.

"I just wasn't selected, my telepathic abilities were not needed for this endeavor," he said with his eyes closed and his nose in the air.

Jamie laughed as they walked up the stairs to their dormitories. Suddenly Jamie stopped where she stood and turned to face John.

"What, what is it Jamie?" he asked, thinking something was wrong. However, instead of a frown a grin spread wide across Jamie's face. She ran full-speed down the hallway with John close in tow.

"Peter!" she shouted when she turned into John's room. She jumped into Peter's arms and hugged him as tightly as she could which was nothing compared to how tightly he hugged her. Peter laughed at her reaction and kissed her cheek as he held her.

John entered a moment later still panting after the race to his room. "Don't EVER leave again," he said. "I'm so glad you're back Pete. I don't think I could have taken anymore training sessions with her. She's too crazy for me." As he finished his sentence he was ambushed from behind by Kesskallome. "I spoke to soon," he laughed. He hugged her tightly as they lay on the floor. Though he didn't act like it, he always worried about Kess every time she went on a mission without him. He was always able to breathe easier when she was back safely in his arms. After they stood up, John went with Kess to her room to help her unpack and to leave Peter and Jamie alone to talk.

"So how much ass did you kick?" John asked as he carried Kess' bag back to her room.

"Ah, so much," she replied, "You should have seen it. There was this one mutant who, I guess he had more joints than everyone else, he looked so weird. But I was fighting him and he was moving all over the place but he was no match for me."

"That's because no one is a master of agility like my girl," John replied and set her bag down.

"You're so sweet," Kess said and started pulling out clothes, "Then, Scott had me get some information, I haven't done a lot of spying before you know, and I wasn't sure I would do that well. I know I'm quiet but staying hidden from a mutant is not the same as staying hidden from the police," she smiled, "But it was great, they had no idea I was there. And that's what helped the most, because we could anticipate what they would do next. I'm really excited about more missions like that. I really feel like I'm pulling my weight you know?"

"Aw, honey you pull your weight all the time. No one can fight as quick as you, I mean the rest of us have more power but that's not what matters sometimes, your speed and fluid fighting fantastic," John said as he put her bathroom things away.

"Why thank you sweetie," Kess said, "Oh I missed you so much," she said and threw her arms around him.

"I missed you too," he said and held her close. "It was so hard to keep Jamie calm while I was worrying about you."

Kess looked at him with sad eyes, "I'm so sorry baby, you shouldn't worry. You know how I am."

"I do know how you are," he replied and ran his fingers through her hair, "That's why I worry. You're a risk taking girl, an amazing team member and a superb fighter. And I know there's nothing you won't do and no chance you won't take. I just don't like it when I can't be there with you."

"Oh John, I'm so sorry," Kess said softly and buried her face in his chest.

"Oh it's not your fault babe," he said held her face up and smiled, "I just worry about you. I don't know what I would without you. And I know the chance of something happening to you is just the same when I'm there, but I feel better knowing that I can see you and do all I can to save you. Not that you would ever need saving," he made her smile, "But still. Just think about how you feel when I'm on a mission and you're the one staying here."

"You're right," Kess said. The last time John had been on a mission without her they had been one three days longer than expected and she had gone crazy waiting to see what was happening. She knew how great a fighter he was but still, it was the separation and the uncertainty that made it all so hard.

"Aren't I always?" John said grinning.

"Well, as long as you're agreeing with me," Kess replied sassily and took the book out she had read on the jet. "Have you read this?" she asked holding up a book titled _100 Years of Solitude_.

John took the book and flipped through it, "No, what's it about?"

"The generations of this Spanish family," Kess said, "I bought right before we left to Italy. I'm only about half way through but it's really amazing."

"He wrote _Love in the Time of Cholera_," John said reading the back about the author Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

"You are correct," Kess smiled, "Read that?"

John nodded, "Now that's an amazing book."

"Well I look forward to borrowing it," Kess smiled.

"Anytime sweetheart, what's mine is yours," John smiled back and kissed her forehead.

"I missed you so much," Jamie said. Peter put her down and she grabbed his suitcase. She began to put away his clean clothes and toss the dirty ones into a hamper. As she was lifting out a shirt when he took it from her and set it back in his bag. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Jamie stood in her shorts and tank and Peter in his black tee and jeans and he kissed her for what felt like an eternity. Her hair was messy and she had been sweating but he kissed her anyway. He had missed her as much as she had missed him. Even though Jamie was safe at the mansion Peter had been unable to stop worrying about her. All types of situation formed in his mind and it was almost hard for him to concentrate on the mission he thought about her so much. Jamie was finally satisfied that Peter was back. The past two weeks had been miserable for her, but now she could relax.

"I missed you more," Peter said quietly after he pulled away from her. He stared into her eyes that were black still but an invisible flame was present and Peter could sense it all the time.

Jamie smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. He let his great, muscular arms encompass her shoulders. They stood for a moment just rocking back and forth in their embrace. Peter thought about how much he loved being with her. The absence had made him realize how much she meant to him.

Jamie broke the silence saying, "I think John was getting a little annoyed with me. I don't think he could have taken many more training sessions." Jamie giggled and Peter laughed with her. He knew just how strong she was and just how much she put into a fight. Though it may only have been a training session she was determined to win with all her might. Jamie and Peter parted and she continued to unpack his bag. "So how did the mission go?" she asked Peter as he helped.

"Oh it went well," he replied. At times he was a little apprehensive about discussing missions because he knew how much Jamie worried. "Cyclops was a Nazi as usual. Jean was her usual flirty self with Scott and Logan. Wolverine was, well, Wolverine. Um…Storm blew up a building with a lightning bolt. That was awesome."

"And what did you do, my big strong man?" she asked girlishly with a smile.

"I stopped a tank, ran through a steel wall, stuff like that. Oh and I broke my…" Peter winced at the look on Jamie's face because he knew he was in for it now.

"You what!" she said. Peter tried not to tell Jamie about his injuries because she always got upset over them. She was like a worried mother sometimes and she never let a single problem go. "You broke something?"

"It's nothing. Really," Peter said. He tried to calm her down and brush the situation off. He fumbled over his words as Jamie lowered her head a bit and stared at him with her arms crossed. She tapped her foot a little to show her disappointment. "Look Jamie don't be mad…" he tried pathetically to ease her down. "Ok, I broke my collar bone…and a rib…or two. The guy just got lucky," he finished up quickly.

Jamie had on an expressionless face as she walked over to his side. She acted with a motherly air that made Peter want to smile. He kept his face serious however as she said, "Where?" She implied the breaks he had received.

Peter removed his shirt to reveal his ripped body. He pointed to the right half of his collar bone. Jamie lifted a cool hand and touched it tenderly. He drew his breath in quickly at her touch as she mended his body. Next he pointed to three different ribs, two on the left and one on the right.

"You just got lucky huh?" Jamie said. There was a small but distinct trace of anger in her voice. "See if I have been there this wouldn't have happened," she was clearly frustrated. She was still fairly new to the Institute compared to Kess, John, and Peter and she hadn't been allowed to go on any missions yet. She needed more training with her powers and the ways of the X-men before the Professor let her go on a mission. She was aggravated every time she had to watch her friends leave for adventure. Not only did she worry about and miss Peter, but she also wanted to satisfy her own need for battle. She wanted to prove herself to the others in a way she hadn't been allowed to yet. She frowned a little at her inner emotions and brooded for a moment while Peter thought of what to say.

"You worry too much," he finally said. He tried to hold her again but she suddenly remembered something she had been waiting to tell him.

Her frown disappeared and her face lit up with joy, "I just remembered I have a surprise for you!" she exclaimed, "Come on, follow me!"

She grabbed his hand and the couple left the room. She led him all the way down to the garage and stopped when she reached the front door. "Alright, close your eyes," she said to him. He did so without a question and a broad smile decorated his face. She took his large hand in her two small ones and opened the door. "Don't look," she warned again.

"I'm not, I'm not," Peter defended himself.

She turned on the light, "Ok, open your eyes now." Peter did so and Jamie yelled, "Surprise!" Her excitement was electric in the room and Peter saw why. In front of him was a Mazda RX-8. "Do you like it" Jamie asked anxiously.

Peter remained silent for a moment to take in the beauty before his eyes. "Oh…my…God…Yes!" he exclaimed.

"I knew you would," Jamie said. "Let me give you the rundown. Okay, inside you got a Cat Back exhaust system, high flow intake manifold, large diameter down-pipe, an engine management unit, fuel injectors, limited stopping differentiation, and a high performance differentiation. Only the best for my baby," she said referring to Peter. She gave him a girly look and continued, "There's also a coil over suspension system, large diameter sway bars, west shot of nitrous oxide, pro performance tires of course; light weight windows, light weight seats, and a Stage 2 Turbo Kit. I'll add upgrades when I get them." With that Jamie ended and Peter stared at her in open-mouthed disbelief. Just as Peter was about to say something Jamie started again. "Oh wait, there's more, she's got Sweeper ground effects, a Heckler spoiler, Trident Hood Northeast Hood Scoop, Xenon 8000 K Street Sack side mirrors, duel sonic exhaust tips, and a 20 inch Antares rims. "

Peter grinned and thought to himself, '_I love it when she talks mechanics to me_.'

"Accessories include a white under glow, two 12 inch JL Audio Subs, two 8 inch JL Audio Subs, and the tint is dark black. She goes 0-60 in 4.45 seconds and 0-100 in just 10.21 seconds. Her top speed is 198, but that's just what the Dyno says. I know she can go faster, but I'll test it myself later when Scott will let me," Jamie concluded her break down of the new car and Peter's eyes were wide.

"I love you," he said in pure joy. He always loved to see the auto side of her. "How long did this take you?" he asked amazed. He knew from experience that it took a long time to do what she did and he didn't know how it all could have happened while he had been away.

"One week with a couple of all-nighters," Jamie said ironically. She opened her mouth wide and yawned.

Peter looked back at the car and walked over to its side. He began to examine everything for himself. "Thank you," he said faintly as he brushed his hands along the car frame. He inspected every piece he could. "I am in shock," he stated, "she's so beautiful. We'll definitely have to take her out later. I can't wait to drive this baby," he ended and moved in front of Jamie. "You are truly amazing," Peter said. He put his arms around her and hugged her long. He thought about the past years they had spent together and what a wonderful girl he had. He thought about how she was made for him, she fit perfectly in his arms and nothing he ever said to her sounded silly. He knew that he had more than a girlfriend.

"I know, you don't have to tell me," Jamie said sarcastically as they hugged.

"Well I have a surprise for you," Peter said when he let go of Jamie. He brushed one of her sandy bangs out of her face and smiled. "I had actually been working on it before but the mission came up and I didn't really have time to finish it. It's nothing as incredible as the car though," he admitted with a bashful grin. He took her by the hand and led her out of the garage. They walked through the garden no longer in any kind of a hurry. Neither of them spoke but they didn't need to. Jamie knew what Peter's thoughts were and Peter knew hers. Now that he had returned Jamie could think clearly again and she was happy. Peter was also content and he felt like he had grown when he was away from Jamie. He felt he had become more mature and that the relationship between himself and Jamie had become stronger.

They had walked for quite some time and they had gotten pretty far away from the mansion. "So this is where you were always going when said you had a 'project'," Jamie said laughing. Finally they came through an area of trees to a small opening to a clearing. Jamie looked around her in awe at the surroundings. "This place is breath taking," she said. All around them were trees; the leaves of the trees were vibrantly green and the bark was dark brown, almost black. Green vines hung low and attached each tree to the other. One tree was littered with bright blue blossoms and another with light pink flowers. Tall, raspberry colored foxglove grew up around the banks of the waterfall that was nestled between the trees. The water cascaded down large rocks and slipped quietly into a small, crystal clear pool. The pool was bordered by colorful rocks of different sizes and shapes and near the rocks grew some of the most colorful flowers Jamie had ever seen.

Peter placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder and turned her away from the beautiful nature and towards the surprise. To the left of them stood an easel with a painted canvas on it. Art supplies and paints were scattered on the ground next to the easel. Jamie walked over to the easel and looked at it. Peter had painted a perfect replica of the landscape she saw in front of her. Each flower was a different color and each leaf was distinguishable. It was like looking at a photograph or even the landscape itself. Jamie always loved looking at Peter's paintings. She admired his work and his eye for art. However in the middle of the painting there was a large, white, unfinished spot.

"This picture is missing something," Peter said to Jamie as he walked to her side he was holding a white box in his hands. Jamie turned and looked at him smiling. She was excited to see the beautiful scene before her and even more excited because she was able to share it with Peter. He looked deeply into her eyes, deeper than he had ever looked before. "Be my Mona Lisa?" he asked as he handed her the box. His voice was sincere and compassionate and his eyes were even more so. Peter was nervous about what she would say and how she would react to his request, but he still held her gaze until she looked down to the box that lay in her hands. She opened it carefully and removed a red silk dress.

"Oh Peter," Jamie whispered in an awestruck state.

"Change into that and let me paint you?" Peter asked. His voice was suave but his eyes were less so. He was unsure of how she would reply and he was anxious to paint her. He saw everything perfectly in his head…but her.

At first Jamie didn't answer. Even though Peter made her feel beautiful she wasn't very confident about her appearance. She didn't feel like she was built in a feminine way and that she deserved to be painted. Though she was beautiful she let her thoughts get in her way. However, after a moment she realized that the only opinion that mattered was that of her and Peter, and Peter already loved her so there was no longer a problem. "I'd be honored," she said quietly and looked into his eyes. She took the dress and went behind a nearby area of thick bushes and trees to change.

Jamie began to undress and the bushes covered her but from her shoulders up. She changed into the dress and was thinking about how she would look during the painting. Peter sat at his easel and watched her. As he watched his mind began to wander and he found himself thinking about Jamie behind her bush. His mind almost went farther than he wanted it to go but out of sincere respect for Jamie he regained control of it. Though he couldn't help but feel a little shy around her while she was changing. He remembered how he had seen her the first time and physically she had taken his breath away. Then he talked to her for the first time and he had become smitten with her; the perfect girl for him.

Jamie came out from behind the bush and walked to Peter, "Hey Pete do you think you could zip this up for me?" she asked. She turned around and pulled her hair off her neck even though it wasn't in the way. He took the zipper and slowly zipped the dress up. His hands were warm as they touched the small of her back. He shook slightly because he was nervous. For some reason he felt self-conscious around her, not because he wasn't comfortable around Jamie, but because she looked so gorgeous he wasn't sure if he could paint all the beauty she gave off.

As Peter touched her back Jamie giggled, "Hey that tickles," she said.

Peter laughed with her and said, "Well I will have to make a note of that." He looked at her with a mischievous grin on his face.

"You better watch it big guy, don't forget, I know your ticklish spot too," she replied as she walked to the rocks. Peter watched her move as fluidly as the water that fell from the small spring on the other side of the rocks. All he could think about was how beautiful she looked. The red dress draped across her form like it was as much a part of her body as her skin was. It was sleeveless and extra fabric was gathered at the plunging neckline to add balance to the dress. There was a slit up the long skirt on the left side. It went high up her thigh and the seam pulled from the top of the slit to each hip. Her feminine curves were perfectly accented by the red; the shadows and highlights made for an aesthetic pleasure Peter had never witnessed before.

"Pete…Peter!" Jamie said loudly.

Peter snapped back to reality, "Huh? What?" he said.

"Peter, where do you want me to stand?" Jamie asked with a giggle. She had been calling his name for almost a minute while he had spaced out.

"Oh, um, just sit down near the waterfall and relax," he replied with a smile.

Jamie went over to one of the larger rocks that was situated higher up and closer to the small waterfall. "This okay?" she asked after she had sat down, making sure not to let anything happen to the gown.

"Yeah, that's perfect," Peter said. He gathered his paints and gazed at her for a moment. _'Perfect' _he thought. He couldn't think of a better way to spend his time then where he was right now. Now that she was in her dress, next to waterfall, and near to him, Peter could paint Jamie without even looking at her. He knew ever curve of her body, every fold of the dress, and every line on her face. He knew the color of her eyes, he skin, her hair, and her lips. As their third Christmas together approached Peter thought about all the time they had spent together. He looked back as he painted and realized that he could honestly say he had loved the past few years and he would never trade them for anything in the world. They both realized that moment how much they had grown together and that, even though they were important to each other and at times all each other had, they both knew that they were separate people with separate ideas and dreams. However, in addition to knowing they were different they also knew that they would always be able work around the other and respect each other in order to be together happily. Their relationship was one that was so deep and so meaningful, no small argument could ever tear them apart.

Both Peter and Jamie had been day dreaming until Jamie finally said, "So where did you get this dress?" Once again bringing Peter back to the real world.

He peeked his head around the canvas to look at her and answered, "Oh I bought it. Kess told me what size you wear and I went to the mall before I left."

Three hours passed and Peter was still hard at work, concentrating on his painting. The effort he put into it was unlike anything he had ever done before. In order to accurately portray her appearance he had to put part of himself into the painting, because in reality Peter was very much a part of Jamie. She was so unique and so special to him that he couldn't bear the thought of drawing her incompletely. However, he didn't want her to get bored either so he asked, "Want to take a break?"

"Yeah sure," she replied. She was content to sit for Peter for however long he wanted her to, but a break was greatly appreciated. Jamie stood up and stretched her arms high above her head and walked about. It felt good to move her limbs after sitting still for so long.

As she moved around Peter watched her intently. For some reason he was totally in awe of her. He looked at her in a way he had never looked at her in before. It was like he was seeing her in a whole different light. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, she was so radiant. He laughed inwardly about how she was so rough and tumble when she worked on cars but she could turn around and be the most beautiful girl on earth. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that she was all his and he belonged to her. '_The reason she is so beautiful on the outside is because she is so beautiful on the inside_' he said to himself.

"So can I look?" Jamie asked. She was anxious to see how Peter had painted her. One can tell a lot about themselves by looking at how other people see them.

"No," Peter said, "You have to wait until the art show just like everyone else." Jamie made a puppy dog face and Peter started to back down from what he said. He never could resist her cute face. "Oh no you don't. Hey now, come on, give a guy a break. You know what that face does to me. Oh fine." His resistance failed and Jamie won.

"Yay!" she said gleefully. Jamie skipped over to the painting and looked at it. She was speechless for a moment because his work was incredible. "Peter, it's so amazing," she said. He had painted Jamie with all the grace she owned. Her image was clear and lifelike. Almost as if she would stand up and walk right off the page just as Jamie had done a moment earlier. Everything he had wanted to show was on his canvas. Each stroke of paint showed a different personality trait she carried and in the light one could see beyond the paint and into the romance that was the painter and his subject.

Peter sighed as Jamie looked at his art work in total rapture. "What's the point of being a man of steel if I can't ever resist a puppy dog face?"

"Hey," Jamie replied, "You know you love the puppy dog face."

"No I love you, the face is just a bonus," Peter concluded.

Jamie laughed as Peter put his arms around her again, "Yeah well, you're grill isn't so bad either," she said and smiled wide looking up into his face. Peter looked down at her a chuckled too. When she looked at him, Jamie realized she had never laughed so lightly and as deeply as she had when she was with Peter. Before she met him, things had always been too serious for her to laugh; now though, she was always in good humor.

"Oh Jamie," Peter said, "I forgot to ask you before I left, but, well, would you like to spend Christmas with me and my family in Russia?" Every year during the winter, students went back to their homes if they had them to spend the holiday with their relatives. The past two years Peter had always brought something back for Jamie as a gift. The first year they were together he had brought her a porcelain doll. The doll had dark brown hair and hazel colored eyes. She wore a maroon dress with brown fur lining on the dress, coat, and hat upon her head. The tiny fingers were ornately sculpted and Jamie had fallen in love with the doll at first sight. The next year Peter had brought her a rich, white fur hat and scarf to match. For the rest of the winter season Jamie had worn them; the warm hat and scarf keeping her thoughts with Peter.

Jamie knew how much family meant to Peter and she was honored to be invited to spend time with them. Peter talked about his parents and sister all the time. In fact he had first discovered his mutant ability as he saved his sister, Illyana, from a tractor on their small family farm.

"Oh my God, Peter! I would love to. I can't wait to meet your family. I'm so excited!" She threw her arms around him with stars in her eyes. Christmas was a few short months away and she brimmed with anticipation at spending such carefree, happy time with Peter and his family. Though she could always see and talk to Peter at the Institute there was something about the stressful environment Jamie felt herself wanting to get away from. Though she knew she would never have an officially normal life, one without the constant threat of missions or attacks seemed very appealing at times. Another reason her skin virtually tingled with excitement was because of the thought of spending the holiday with a real family. Having always been on her own she missed out on the feeling that comes with being a family. A blood mother, father, and sibling were something the Institute just could not give her though the people there had most definitely become family. Kess often called her the sister she never had and Jamie returned the feeling.

"So I reckon you told her about Russia?" John called. Kess followed close behind him as they strode down the path to Peter's setup.

"Yeah he did," Jamie said in rapturous joy. Then her expression changed to one of worry, "But what about you guys?" The last thing she wanted to do was abandon her family-like friend on the holiday made for families.

Kess laughed, "Don't worry we are going to Egypt to have Christmas with the family in Cairo I stayed with." Though Jamie knew very little about Kess' past she did know that the girl had virtually no family left but for various people she lived with on her passage to the States.

"Jamie, we might have to drop them off on the way to Russia," Peter explained.

John chuckled a bit, "You'll be making snow angels while I get to make sand angels."

"Hey you're the one that wanted to travel," Kess reminded him.

"I know darlin', I'll make my angel look just like you," he put his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"How **did** you escape that mental hospital?" Kess said sarcastically though she didn't try to hide her smile. His crazy antics were one of her favorite qualities.

"Well don't forget," John said, "Next year is with my family. They have been bugging me about when you were coming back. Forget asking about when I'm coming home, they just want to see you." Jamie and Peter laughed and Peter gave Jamie a nod to verify the statement.

"Well that's completely understandable," Kess replied with a grin, "I mean, I'm such a good influence on you. Your mom said so. Oh I just love your family John. They are so close." Kess had never had much in the way of a family she could call hers but she had one in John's. They had practically adopted her as soon as the met her. John younger sister, Holly, looked up to her and John's dad was always asking about her. Calling her daughter-in-law already his mother routinely called her to chat. The strong bond between the Fullers was extended to Kess and for it she was grateful.

"Yeah," John laughed, "Plus they give good gifts."

The group of four began to walk back to the mansion as dinner time rolled around. The whole way John wore a mischievous grin until Peter finally asked him.

"What are you smiling about dude?" he inquired curiously.

"Oh nothing," he said enticingly nonchalantly.

"Come on John what is it?" Jamie asked.

John looked at Jamie then at Kess before he said, "Oh I just got amazing tickets and backstage passes to the AFI/Godsmack concert tonight. Nothing really." He continued walking as the others stopped. He turned around, hands in his pockets, as he walked backwards and said, "Yeah I know, I'm he man. You don't have to say it. No applause necessary."

Peter was silent and Jamie was to the point of overflowing. She gave him a huge hug as Kess just leaned back and said, "AFI? I knew there was a reason I stayed with you this long."

They all continued back to the mansion and chatted busily about the concert.

"You girls go get ready and we'll meet you in the garage in an hour. That way we can eat first," John said.

The girls ran upstairs to their adjoining room. Jamie thumbed through her closet looking for clothes to wear. "Hey Kess," she called from her room, "What are you wearing?"

"This," she replied. She had already changed into a black AFI tank and jeans. The jeans fit her hips perfectly and the black converses on her feet were comfortable and yet cute. She had a red hoodie with little Xs and Os on it hun over her arm as she put her earrings in.

Jamie laughed a little, "You're so awesome," she said.

Kess smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She stared at Jamie for a moment then said, "Wait right here," she left her room and returned with a thin white box with a name on the top. "I was saving this for Christmas but I think you should have it now. Go on, open it."

Jamie took the box and looked at Kess with a big smile. She opened it and took out a Godsmack band shirt. "Oh Kess! You're shouldn't have!"

"Sure I should have! Sorry it's not wrapped. So you like it then?"

"Like it? I love it almost as much as I love you."

"Oh you love me? Really?" she said dramatically. "So you'll finally breakup with Peter so we can run away together?"

"Absolutely" Jamie said, "Well can he come too?"

"I guess so, I might bring John as well." The girls laughed and Jamie changed into her shirt and a pair of jeans and her bright green chucks. "Grab a jacket too, it might get chilly and the concert is in the amphitheater downtown." Jamie did so and they hurried down to the garage.

The guys were waiting as Peter finished up giving an excited tour of the new car. John looked up and smiled, "You gave it to her already?" he asked Kess referring to the Godsmack shirt.

"Yes she did," Jamie answered.

"Well we're off then I guess," Peter said. "Everybody in and I'll drive us to dinner."

Jamie sat in front with Peter while they drove and he promised to let her drive the car home, "You're such a softie," John said, "You'd let her do anything."

"Oh please," Peter retorted. "It's not like Kess doesn't have you wrapped around her finger."

"Hey he wrapped himself there, I wasn't a part of it at all," Kess said in defense of herself.

Once they arrived at the little diner they were eating at they ordered quickly. After a short supper of cheeseburgers and peanut butter pie they headed out again making their way to the downtown amphitheater. John had truly out done himself with floor tickets. There was already a huge crowd outside the doors. Only floor and first level seating was being allowed in because of the unmanageable crowd.

Once they got inside they found places near the stage and waited for the show to begin. Kess and Peter talked about the mission they had gone on which had turned out to be a fairly minor deal, at least compared to what they had done before. Jamie was greatly intrigued and interested in their stories and she itched for her own chance at action which seemed so far away still. Before they knew it the place had filled up and AFI had taken the stage. Everyone went wild with screams and rock fists as soon as they started the "The Leaving Song Pt II". Jamie looked over as John and Kess danced and sang along with the words. Everyone around her was moving, jumping, and screaming. It was then that she realized the building was very dark; she started to get a little nervous until Peter put his hand on her shoulder. "Can you see?" he asked, but before she could answer he had lifted her onto his shoulders. Jamie was surprised at first but as soon as she got used to the height she started singing along and shouting too. After a set of "Silver and Cold", "Bleed Black", and "This Celluloid Dream" in addition to many others AFI said their farewell and the fans screaming escorted them offstage.

"I can't wait to see them backstage," Kess said while the roadies set up equipment for Godsmack, "They are my absolute favorite band."

"And don't we all know it," John commented, earning him an elbow in the stomach from his girl friend.

Before they knew it the whole place went entirely black. Frightened Jamie searched for Peter's hand. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened the last time she was in total darkness. A spot light came on and Sully Erna looked out on the crowd. With a "Hello New York" he began the main part of the show with the song "Keep Away". After a well loved blast from Godsmack past set including "Bad Religion" and "Whatever" he moved on to the blood pumping "Vampires". After another half hour of screams, rock fists, dancing, and moshing he came to a close with the infamous "I Stand Alone".

Disturbing memories surged in Jamie's mind and she said to Peter in a worried voice, "This is the song that was playing when I, when I, when I went crazy."

Peter lifted her back to his shoulders ad said comfortingly, "Don't worry Jamie, nothing will happen while I'm here. Don't let it get you down, this is your favorite song."

Jamie smiled, "You're right, thanks," she said and screamed her heart out for the rest of the song.

After the concert ended and the band left the stage people began slowly filing to the doors. Kess, John, Peter, and Jamie all walked to the door below the stage with their backstage passes showing. They were led to a room where they waited for the bands to come out.

They had only sat there for a little bit when a second pair of doors opened and the band members of AFI and Godsmack came into the room. "Jamie?" Sully Erna of Godsmack said.

Jamie's face lit up and she ran to hug the front man of her favorite band. Who was also the man who had taught her how to play poker. "It's so great to see you all!" she said. "I want you to meet my friends."

Kess, John, and Peter all stared with their mouths open. "You know each other?" Peter asked confused.

"Know each other?" Robbie Merrill, bass player for the band asked, "We're practically family."

"But how, wait what didn't you tell us Jamie?" Kess said.

"Well for a while I worked as a roadie for these guys," she replied, "That was when I first got into good music. I got to listen to them all the time as they practiced before shows. It was neat being on the other side of the stage this time," she said. Sully still had an arm around her shoulders. Jamie and the band reminisced about their past and Peter listen intently while Kess and John spent most of their time with the members of AFI. All too soon the night was coming to an end and the kids were needing to get back to the mansion.

"We'll come back soon sometime," Tony Rombola said, "Now that we know where you are, we'll have to visit, see how many concerts New York can take." He winked at her and she smiled.

"I'll miss you guys, keep in touch okay?" she said. They agreed to and eventually the two groups parted. They left the amphitheater as midnight came around, "That was such a great concert," Jamie said.

"It was amazing," Kess agreed. She still sat in the back with John while Peter let Jamie take the wheel on the way home.

They rode through town with the music blaring until they came to a stop light, "We're being followed," Jamie said coolly. Before the words had left her lips a gang of bullet bikers surrounded them. They all carried guns visibly and Kess' eyes narrowed when she saw them.

"I don't like guns," she whispered venomously.

"Keep it cool Kess," John said and rubbed her shoulder. "Nothing's going to happen."

One of the bikers pulled close up to Jamie's side of the car and Peter made himself clearly visible to him with one hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Moses requests your presence at tonight's drag by the warehouses," he said.

"Lead the way," Jamie said just as cool as ever. Peter still had a glare on his face and Kess began to take on a more and more serpentine form. Easy going as he was John focused on keeping Kess calm. "Don't worry guys, everything will be alright."

The bikers still surrounded the car and they made their around town. "We're going to get in some serious trouble Jamie," John said, "We have a curfew and believe me, the Professor doesn't go to easy on people who break curfew, especially for something like this."

"I'll take the wrap for it," Jamie tried to reassure him, "Besides if we don't go then we would have to use our powers and that's not an option now is it? Chill out, we're just going for a test drive." She had everything figured out in her head though John still regarded her with an unsure look.

They pulled up to the warehouse where five other cars were parked outside and Jamie pulled the RX in front of the middle one and got out. After she did the other got out as well and a large man exited the car she was in front of. As men go he was enormous, weighing at least 300 pounds. Other men got out of the four remaining cars and sat on the hoods of their respective automobiles.

"Jamie girl!" the large man exclaimed.

"Yo what's up Moses?" Jamie replied as she walked to where he stood in front of his car.

"Not much girl, I heard you were in town with a new ride, news travels fast you know, and I thought you might want in on some action," he explained. "Come on honey, give me some sugar!"

Jamie gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, it was clear they were old friends. "So what's the game?" she asked.

"Quarter mile drag down the railroad behind the warehouse, then a sprint through down town and back," he replied.

"Skip the sprint Mose, How about a drag eliminator?" she questioned.

"Hey sounds good to me girl. Too much fuzz down town anyway," he replied.

While they spoke Kess cast a suspicious glare at all the other people around them. John kept a cautious eye on his girlfriend and Peter did the same on Jamie. The three stood next to Peter's car while she talked wondering when she had time to street race and why they had never heard about it. It disturbed Peter some because he liked to think he knew everything about Jamie but he kept being proved wrong.

"While we wait for an audience why don't you introduce me to your crew," Moses said.

"Oh yeah Moses this is Kess." Kess nodded to him and he returned it. "This is John, Kess' boyfriend."

"What up playa?" Moses asked. John said nothing back and his grip on Kess' shoulder tightened.

"And this is Peter," Jamie said with a big smile.

"This your boo?" Moses said. "You have quite a girl on your hands," he said and offered Peter a hand to shake.

Peter took it firmly and shook it stiffly, "Yeah I keep noticing," he said with a somewhat angry look directed at Jamie. _Why didn't she tell me about this?_ He wondered, _What else is she keeping from me?"_

"Oh here comes your public," Moses said breaking Peter's thoughts. From every direction dozens of cars pulled into o lines making the boundaries of the quarter mile track. Cars of all colors swarmed around reminding Jamie of a rainbow. "Alright shortie, time to meet your prey." Moses led her away from her friends. She was excited and entirely comfortable with the situation though her friends were not. Kess was used to the street crowd and John had no problem staying cool with new situations, but Peter was practically livid.

"Alrighty boys!" Moses called to the four guys standing in a group talking. "This is James Logan. She's gonna be racing with you tonight. Jamie this is Rusty," he said pointing at a red haired guy.

"How you doing sweet thing?" he said looking her up and down.

"Hey she's out of your league dork," said the guys to his right. "Name's Dean. Lose your ride. Who tweaked it?"

"I did," Jamie replied with a smirk. In front of the guys she and Moses kept a professional relationship instead of their friendly one.

"That's Nitro," Moses said pointing to another man.

Nitro was a dark looking guy with plenty of attitude. He walked up and got in Jamie's face, "We're supposed to race this amateur? Why don't you stand on the side and watch bitch."

Jamie grinned chillingly, "You know I'm glad I'm racing you, your car is a piece of junk. We'll see how cocky you are after I beat your ass into the ground punk. What are the stakes Moses?" she asked without taking her eyes from Nitro.

"We race for slips, but that's the final round. The pots at a thousand. The odds on that you'll win," he replied also keeping a steady eye on Nitro.

"What do you think they're talking about?" John asked as they watched.

"Hey you okay Peter?" Kess asked noticing the expression on Peter's face.

"I'm fine," he said as if it took effort. Only a fool wouldn't be able to see his anger.

"Don't worry big guy, she's fine," John tried to comfort. Peter's face remained mad but his eyes were sad.

"I don't even know her," he replied softly without taking his eyes from her. His usually happy and bright eyes were clouded by something that resembled the hurt feeling caused when one is betrayed by the person they love most. Though Peter knew Jamie would always be everything to him he wished she would at least share some of her life with him. He felt like a dead weight to her, as if he were unimportant. His shoulders sagged a little as these thoughts ran though his mind.

The meeting broke up and Jamie approached the others keeping her business face on until she got closer to them and loosened up. "Well we're all ready to go. This should be easy as pie," she said rubbing her hands together. Peter still had a look of betrayal on still and Jamie walked over to him, "What's wrong babe?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied, jerking his arm away from her touch. His voice said 'go away' and Jamie was confused as to why he was acting the way he was.

"James, time to get fast girl," Moses called. She walked away looking back at Peter with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Good luck," John and Kess said.

"Thanks…"Jamie replied as she got into the Mazda and pulled off to the starting line.

"Good luck pretty girl," Peter said to himself sadly.

Jamie pulled up to the starting line and put on her sunglasses. Ever since the situation in the Danger Room her eyes had become extremely sensitive and the light from all the cars irritated them. She was also upset from what Peter had said and she could feel her eyes tears up. "Gotta focus," she said to herself. She turned her head and peered over her sunglasses to see Nitro glaring at her 4 cars down. He revved his engine trying to look intimidating. She raised her eyebrow and gave him a look that said 'you are messing with the wrong girl, jackass'. She shook off his act of male ego easily and turned her eyes to the track. She turned on the CD player in the car and heard the song "Burn, Burn" by Lostprophets. Kess had put her CD in the car before they left and Jamie was thankful for the good music. She turned up the radio because she didn't need to hear the engine; somehow she just knew it inside and out. She was so in-tune with it, it was like a part of her.

One of the women on the sidelines walked out in front of the cars. She was skimpily clad and raised her arms to get the adrenaline of the men going. She smirked to herself and the cars revved their engines. Fire burst out of Nitro's car with each rev. Jamie had her hands tight on the wheel and stick and she felt her body become one with the automobile as she watched the woman. She dropped her arms and they were off. There wasn't much competition with Jamie in the lead followed by Nitro. She crossed the finish line in 31.2 seconds. Wayne was out of that one. The other three races went by in almost no time at all until all that was left was Nitro and Jamie. They pulled their cars up to the line. "You ready to lose" Nitro asked Jamie.

She turned her head to look at him, "Not really, no, you?" she said venomously. Kess had been chosen as the starting girl for this race and she walked confidently out in front of the cars. A few guys whistled and she gave them a truly reptilian glare and John punched the arm of one guy next to him that whistled. She stood between the two cars and raised her arms and looked at Nitro and Jamie. She dropped her arms and the cars blew past her, Jamie well ahead of Nitro. She crossed the finish line in 28.3 seconds making her the winner.

She got out of the car as did Nitro who was livid, "You cheated bitch!" he exclaimed. "Your friend gave you a signal and you cheated!"

Jamie looked at him coolly but her anger was starting to flare. She was getting tired of dealing with this idiot, "No I didn't" she said calmly but a hint of warning was in her voice.

"I want a redo you cheating bitch," he concluded.

"Boy I could beat you with my eyes closed and blindfolded," she said angrily with no sarcasm in her voice.

Nitro grinned, "Fine, if you beat me blindfolded I admit defeat," he offered.

"Fine by me moron," Jamie replied and walked to the car and got out a black scarf Kess had been wearing that night. She turned the car around and on the line. She got out and said, "Do you want to tie it on so it's not questionable?" she asked with mock seriousness.

Nitro walked over and took the scarf from her and she turned around so he could tie it on. As he tied it he put his mouth next to her ear and spoke so only she could hear, "You know, if you weren't a threat you could be worth something to me. Hot girls like you…" he paused as his body got closer behind hers.

Jamie turned around, the blindfold on her eyes, "You have three seconds to get off me you dumb-ass," she said the most frightening tone Nitro had ever heard. Even with the blindfold on she could tell how much she had intimidated him and fury coursed through her like blood. He backed away and got into his car. Jamie did the same as if she didn't have anything obstructing her view. Once inside the car she closed the doors and let herself adjust to having no sight. Her other senses took over instantly and her touch, taste, sound, and scent became her eyes. She caught the scent of a cigar, _A cheap one at that_, she laughed to herself.

Moses walked in between the cars, "Everybody ready?" he shouted. The two racers revved their engines, "1…2…3…Go!" As he spoke the cars zoomed past him and Jamie could feel each sensation as she shifted. She listened to the car and felt her body become one with it. She counted in her head how long to drive because she knew the length of the previous races and was surprised to find that she could no longer sense Nitro's car near her. Once she crossed the finish line she knew she had won from all the screams and cheers. She slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel making the car spin 180 degrees to face the finish line. She sat for a minute letting this event sink into her mind. She noticed the smell of the cigar again and then it was gone. She took off the blindfold and got out of the car. Everyone surrounded her and congratulated her on her victory. Jamie learned that Nitro used his nose too early and his engine was blown.

An obviously frustrated Nitro got out of his car and walked slowly over to where Jamie stood. "That doesn't mean a thing," he started.

Jamie put her hand up, "Keep your car you idiot, I don't want a piece of crap with a blown engine on my hands."

"Bitch," he muttered again under his breath.

Jamie snickered, "Call me next time you want to lose again," she called as he walked away with his head down.

Moses pushed through the crowd that had begun to form and handed her a nice pile of cash, "Here you go," he said, "You deserve it. That was some of the best driving I've seen in my whole James. Promise me you won't let it go. We need a good driver like you out there. Make the races worth watching." He winked at her and she smiled back.

Without counting the money Jamie got back in the car where Kess, John, and Peter already sat. "Damn Jamie," Kess said, "That was awesome, you put that jerk in his place."

"I must say, you are the guru of driving," John added as he and Kess cuddled in the back.

Peter sat in the passenger seat his eyes staring out the window seeing nothing in particular. The look of anger and betrayal was still clearly written on his face. Sensing the tension between them Kess said, "Don't you think she did great Pete?" with a tone that gently but forcefully urged him to speak.

"Yeah fantastic," he replied with a voice that made his feelings obvious. Jamie frowned and they road in silence.

It was about 2:30 in the morning when Jamie pulled the car back into the garage and Scott turned on the lights. "You're late, the professor wants to see you in his office," he said in his usual commanding voice.

Jamie, without even looking at her friends, got out of the car and started inside towards the office. John, Kess, and Peter lagged behind because even though Jamie had never seen the professor that mad they had and were nervous about seeing him again under such bad conditions.

Jamie entered Xavier's office before her friends. The Professor sat in his robe at his desk with Logan behind him against the wall. "Before you say anything Professor I take full responsibility for all of this. They had nothing to do with it, it's my fault." Logan noticed the same look of maturity on her face that he saw the day of Peter's accident. Kess and John entered a moment after that thankful that Jamie was taking responsibility. Peter was a moment longer and he lingered in the background watching. His heart ached for Jamie but he was still upset over the events of the night.

Scott came in as Jamie finished her confession and said, "How could you have been so irresponsible Jamie? Did you plan to meet those guys? Make it look like an accident? Just so you could have some kicks? You didn't - "

"Scott! Shut the hell up!" Jamie exclaimed, tired of being accused of things. "No I didn't plan to meet up with Moses. A few years ago I came to New York for a job and I met Moses when he brought his car into the garage I was working in. He needed some new shocks and rims. When he saw how interested I was in cars he asked me to a race. And from then on it's nothing. Drag racing isn't that big of a deal when you know what you're doing. I was in complete control of the situation. Would you rather I kill them all? I highly doubt that would be a good idea so back off me, Bub," she concluded.

"You are out of control Jamie! And your attitude is not helping the situation," Scott continued, "I am suspending you from the garage for two months," he stated.

"What! You can't do that!" Jamie cried. "Professor can he do that?" she asked, knowing the professor was the one in charge not Scott. Peter knew that banning her from the garage was like tearing a piece of her soul out and he felt sympathetic to her.

"I think it would be best to spend some time out of the garage Jamie, but only for a month," he replied calmly.

"This is friggin' ridiculous. Professor you knew what was going on. You're whole psychic thing told you where we were. Plus you knew too!" she said turning to Logan. "I could smell those cheap ass cigars you smoke! I knew it was you! So I don't see what the big deal is. I didn't use my powers and no one got hurt. I am assuming total responsibility; I didn't lie about where we were. What the hell do you want from me?" Jamie turned and started out the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Scott asked as is if Jamie was a convict.

Jamie turned around and threw something to the professor. Her eyes blackened over as she spoke, "For a walk," she said and walked out the door slamming it so hard it broke in half.

"What did she give you professor?" Scott asked.

The professor raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Twenty thousand dollars," he said. Kess' mouth dropped and John whistled. "She wants me to give it to the children's home down the street." Xavier had heard her request telepathically when she had tossed the money. He put the money in his desk drawer and thought silently for a few minutes. When he spoke he was serious, "So what is your opinion on what happened tonight?" he asked the remaining people in the room.

"Honestly sir, I trust Jamie with my life," John said.

Kess nodded in agreement, "As do I. She would never let us be in harm's way."

The professor looked at Peter, "What's on your mind Peter?" he asked him and sat back in his chair. _Why are you so angry? _he added telepathically.

When Peter gave no reply but his consistent frustrated look Kess spoke up, "Pete, are you honestly still mad at her for tonight?" she asked astonished. Peter looked her square in the eyes and her gaze never wavered. "You are such a jerk," she said with disbelief. Then she walked out of the room to follow Jamie. John looked at the professor then to Peter then, without a word, left as well for his room.

Peter punched the wall and left without an answer to the Professor's question. Only Xavier, Logan and Scott were left in the room. "You were too easy on her Professor," Scott said in his opinion.

"Scott I must say that you handled that situation in a less than professional manner," the Professor replied coolly.

Logan snickered, "I think someone is a little jealous that he's the third best driver in the school. Professor I saw her, she knows what she's doing," he said as he turned to leave.

"Who's number one? You?" Scott said knowing how highly Logan thought of himself in the field of cars.

"No Shades, I'm number two," he said over his shoulder and walked out.

Logan found Peter on the roof just a little bit later looking at the stars, "Hey Russkie," he said as he approached Peter from behind.

"Go away Logan," Peter said in a monotone without moving.

"Sorry kid, I have to keep you from making the biggest mistake of your life," he replied as he sat down next to Peter.

"What do you know?" Peter asked annoyed, "I feel like I don't even know her anymore. The whole drag racing thing. It's like she had a whole life that I didn't know about, that I wasn't a part of."

"Well kid, you have secrets that you are still waiting for the right moment to tell her. I'm sure she was going to tell you. Just the opportunity came before she could tell you verbally. How do you think she knows the acceleration speed for almost anything with wheels?" he concluded.

"She could have gotten hurt Logan," Peter said quietly.

"Kid, she's invincible, and well, she's Jamie. You know as well as I do that nothing bad will happen to her, cause we're here. Me because she's like a sister to me, and you because you care for her more than anything in the world," Logan stopped as he saw the flicker of a confident smile creep across Peter's face as he realize the wisdom and truth in Logan's words. "So don't be crazy comrade." He stood up and walked back to the door that led inside leaving Peter to think about his words.

"Well, he's right," Peter said to the stars, "I love her too much to let this bother me."

Jamie sat on the hill under the oak that overlooked the mansion. She had thought long about what happened that night. Kess had gone outside to console her but left when Jamie told her she was staying outside for a while. Scott had come by to apologize for the way he acted and getting the apology out was like pulling teeth. Jamie laughed as she thought about it and was relieved that her punishment was now only limited to a single week with no garage access.

"I'm going to buy you better cigars for Christmas," she said over her shoulder, "Those things smell like shit."

Logan walked out from the edge of the woods, "You can get me some from Russia when you go with Colossus," he replied as he leaned against the tree she sat under.

"I don't think he'll want me to go now. I was going to tell him when we were alone but I didn't get the chance. It just never came up," she sighed, "He probably hates me now. I don't blame him," she ended as she looked up to the sky. The same sky Peter was watching up on the roof. "What time is it by the way" she asked Logan.

"Quarter till five," he replied after consulting his watch.

"Great, now I can watch the sun come up. Might as well, I've been sitting here so long.

Peter looked over his shoulder as he sensed someone familiar, "You have a visitor," he said when he saw Peter's large form emerge from the woods.

"I know," she said without taking her eyes away from where the sun was going to come up. Logan started to walk away when she said, "Thanks Logan."

"Anytime kid," he called back as he passed Peter.

Peter walked up behind Jamie, "I'm sorry for not telling you about Moses and everything. I meant to," she said as she continued to stare at the horizon that was beginning to lighten from midnight black to navy blue.

Peter looked down at her to see a tear slowly descend down her cheek. He knelt down and wiped it away with his thumb. She still didn't look at him and he could see that she was ashamed. As he knelt by her he sighed, "I should just know by now that you are full of surprises," he informed her.

"I don't mean to be, there's just a lot of things that have happened to me. I don't want to overwhelm you," she finished.

"Well I'm not going anywhere so you've got my whole life to tell me," he told her. He slid his arms around her shoulders in a warm, tight embrace. They didn't talk; they just watched the sun come up. Like two lovers in an angelic painting the sky illuminated them like fire. A fire that matched their love.


	8. Russian Holiday

**A New Home**

**Chapter 8: Russian Holiday**

It was early, almost 5 AM and the birds outside had not yet woken. Soft snow was fresh on the ground from the nightly snowfall at the mansion and nothing stirred within the building. It was still dark outside though a faint glimmer of light was visible to the east where the sun would soon be making his way into the morning sky. John and Peter slept soundly in their room dreaming quietly of their fast approaching winter vacation.

"Rise and shine!" Jamie exclaimed as she barged into their room smiling. Her face was wide in an excited smile and her eyes shone almost as brightly as the stars that still dotted the sky, unwilling to let go of their places to make way for the brightest star of all.

John rolled over and covered his head with a pillow, "Go away," he mumbled.

Jamie ignored him and went to sit at the head of Peter's bed where he lay groaning somewhere under the mass of covers, "Have you packed your bags yet?" she asked brightly.

"Uh, Jamie we can't leave until the X-men get back with the jet. Go back to bed," he replied, moving around to get comfortable again.

"Yeah go to bed for the sake of the sane people of the world," John echoed, still in a dream-like state.

"But I can't sleep when I'm excited," she whispered more to herself than to the guys. "Fine, I get the hint, I'll go," she concluded. She looked to Peter then to John with a slight smile on her face and shook her head as she got up, _Those guys_, she thought, _They really do need someone to take care of them._ She left the room and wandered down the hall with no destination in particular. She admired the paintings on the walls that had first caught her eye when she came to the Institute. Eventually she found herself in the school's library. "Wow, this place has a library?" she asked aloud.

"Well of course it does, it's a school isn't it?" said a voice.

"Oh sorry, I've never been here," she replied in her defense, "Who are you?" she asked. She looked all around but couldn't see anyone at all in the room aside from herself.

"I work here, I'm what you'd call a 'twenty-four/seven Bookworm'," the voice replied with a hint of humor, "What is your name young lady?"

"I'm Jamie," she said still looking.

"Well Jamie it's very nice to meet you, I'm Bookworm," the voice now sounded like it was just around the corner of the bookshelf next to Jamie. She walked around the shelf and looked down to find a small, worm-like creature that only stood about a foot tall at the most, wearing large rim glasses. "Well, you are quite tall aren't you Jamie?" he chuckled good naturedly, "Then again I am a bit on the short side." He noticed Jamie was looking around the books, "Are you looking for anything in particular?" he asked.

Jamie looked down at him then knelt on the floor then lay down on her stomach with her head resting on her hands in front of him, "I'm not sure," she said, "I've never been to a library before. What do you suggest?"

"Never been to a library before!" he repeated in mock alarm, "Why my dear, you've been missing out. A library is a wonderful place. Now let me look at you," he studied her for a moment behind his thick glasses then said, "You look like an adventure girl to me, or maybe poetry might be your taste. Well we'll have to find out, follow me. I'll show you all around the sections so you can visit more often."

Jamie giggled at Bookworm, "Okay, that works for me," she said.

She followed him though rows and rows of the enormous library naming the different types of books and explaining how they were categorized. "Poetry is here in the middle, it's one of my favorite sections and right next to it is fiction. I think you know Kesskallome Creed? Well she's a regular in those sections; we've had quite a few discussions on Poe."

"Poe?" Jamie asked.

"Oh yes, yes, Edgar Allen Poe, one of the greatest poets to live and lived one of the saddest lives. You must read some of his work sometime, but first we make our way to adventure."

"I never knew there were so many types of books," Jamie said awed. She had never seen so many books in one place before, it had a magical feeling that excited her imagination.

"Well I am glad that I could give you your first tour," Bookworm replied, "Ah here, adventure." He stopped in front of a book case that had three sections and six shelves. Book of different height, width, and color were neatly in order according to author.

"There are all the adventures?" Jamie questioned in surprise.

"Indeed it is," Bookworm said with pride, "All the best novels, plays, short stories, fiction , and non-fiction there is. Enjoy, I shall return in a bit to check on how you're doing, but I have to go re-shelve the returned books now," he explained.

"Okay," Jamie said with a smile. With that Bookworm left Jamie and she started looking around the books. She pulled out a red one, a blue one, one with gold edged pages, one with old yellow paper, one with notes written on the inside, and one with many colorful pictures. She eagerly opened them and began to read, sitting on the floor as the first rays of the sun found their way in the windows and glinted off the shiny dark wood of the shelves.

At around 8 AM Peter stretched as he walked out of his room and down the hall to knock on Jamie's door. He knocked once but got no answer, a second knock yielded no more than the first and Peter began to wonder where Jamie was. He knocked on Kess' door and found the girl up early and ready, "Hey Kess, have you seen Jamie at all?"

"Nope, sorry Pete. Hey if you John tell to get his sorry ass over here. Make sure he brings his bags too, he's virtually incapable of packing by himself."

Peter nodded and she went back into her room, he saw she had a myriad of clothes set out in neat piles on her bed ready for packing. He walked down the hall, checked the garage, the danger room, and gym but still found no Jamie.

Just as he was starting to worry Logan came around the corner, "Hey kid," he said.

"Hey Logan, have you seen Jamie" he asked.

Logan looked at him questioningly, "No why?" he replied.

"Well she came into my room this morning around 5 because she couldn't sleep from excitement. And now I can't seem to find her," Peter explained. Just then a girl walking down the hall caught their attention. She was carrying a stack of books in front of her face and she wore cut-off jean shorts with no shoes. Peter smiled, "I'd know those legs anywhere," he said and walked over to help Jamie. "Where have you been?" he asked taking some of the books from her arms as Logan did the same.

"I was in the library," Jamie answered.

"We have a library?" Logan asked.

"Yup and it's so much fun, all the books," she replied with a smile. "What time do we have to leave?" she asked turning to Peter.

"Well as soon as they get the jet re-prepped we can go, about two hours," he guessed.

"Ok, well I'm going to go read," she said and took her books back from the guys as she turned the corner into her room. She popped her head back around the doorway, "Could you get me one of those coffee things that you got me before?" she asked Peter.

"A café latte? Yeah I'll be there in a minute," he replied.

"Thanks, love ya babe," she flashed a smile and wink she knew he liked.

Peter loved her all the time but he had a certain preference for the mornings, she didn't have her hair done or any makeup on like she did at other times. She looked so natural, just the Jamie he fell in love with and nothing else. She was so fresh and awake, it helped him wake himself up and he knew in his heart he needed her more than anything, even air. "Buy you a coffee?" he asked Logan.

"Works for me," the burly man replied and walked with Peter to the student coffee corner and talked about the mission he had just gone on. It was a usual protection mission that most of the minor ones were. High ranking official needs an escort and goes to Xavier for aid. Not one of Logan's favorites but it was better than sitting around the mansion all day. "Thanks for the coffee," Logan told Peter.

"Yeah no prob man," Peter said, "See you later," and they went their separate ways. Peter walked into Jamie's room with two cups of coffee and found her lying on her stomach in front of the fireplace that had been recently added to different rooms of the mansion. The fire roared and it was her only light source because her blinds were closed and house lights off. She was humming softly to herself immersed in her book with its relatives strewn across the floor around her. She looked so beautiful lying there; she had pulled her hair back with a clip and messy ends that weren't long enough to stay back feel forward in her face and she automatically pushed them away from her face as her eyes darted across the page excitedly. A wide smile spread across her face and Peter could tell she was at a good part. "Hey, I got your latte," he said and walked towards her. He realized her had been thinking about her a lot lately. Though Jamie was always on his mind she seemed to be crossing his thoughts in a different way. Whenever he thought about his own future she was always his first vision, he knew that he would have no future if Jamie wasn't a part of it. She was more a part of him than anything else, including his mutation, was.

"Thanks," she said lovingly without taking her eyes from her book.

Peter set down the drinks and lay down beside her. "What are you reading?" he asked as he grabbed the book in front of him and turned it over. The title read 'The Eyes of the Dragon', _So Jamie,_ he thought and smiled to himself.

"Treasure Island," she replied, "I'm almost half way through too," she added and took a sip of the drink before her. "Mm I love coffee," she whispered and returned to her reading.

While Jamie read Peter grabbed his sketchbook from off of her bed; he'd left it there the previous night during one of their late night chats. He turned to an empty page and began to sketch her as she lay. To anyone else's eyes the sketch was informal and even messy, but to Peter it was beautiful. Any time he drew Jamie he never saw the lines that made up her figure or the shading that created different tones on her face. He only saw the essence of her, and as hard as it was to catch, each time he came a little closer to doing so. He tried to draw the feelings he felt for her, the love and compassion that he knew in his heart anytime he thought of her. He never took his off of her while he drew and he didn't have to. His hands knew how to make the outline of her body without having to be told to. Like most truly good artists he had stumbled onto the secret of drawing. The brain helps not, the heart is what creates beauty.

"Finished!" Jamie exclaimed and set down her book. "So are we ready to leave?" she asked. As soon s she finished her book her mind was back on the trip as if it had ever left.

"Yeah, but we have to go see the professor for a minute before we go," Peter informed her.

They left Jamie's room and started to walk down the hall when they heard familiar voices arguing, "Are you sure you packed everything?" Kess asked John as she did a last run through their bags.

"For the millionth time yes!" John answered exasperated. "We're ready to leave," he said and helped gather up their bags.

The two couples met in the hallway with their bags, "Well, we're heading to the airport," Kess said. "Call us when you get to Russia, we should be settled in by that time. That is of course if Mr. Un-organized here doesn't lose all our bags."

John rolled his eyes, "Well we'll just see who's borrowing whose toothbrush this time," he replied. Some of his straight, long brown hair fell in his eyes and he tried to get rid of it by jerking his head.

"You're so hopeless," Kess sighed and moved it for him, "What would you do without me?"

"Probably not have to check my bags five times," he retorted.

"And have to go buy new shorts as soon as you get to your destination. We know how that works," she snorted.

"That was once. Once! And you'll never let me live it down," he hung his head, "Oh I am hopeless aren't I?"

"Never darling!" Kess said and kissed him sweetly.

Jamie laughed, "Well I guess you two will have a fun time in Egypt won't you?"

"Oh yes we will, we have so much planned. John's never been there and I can't wait to go back. I haven't seen Egypt since I came to the Institute and I can't wait for Marian to see how much I've changed. She's the one who took me in; she and her husband Ferdinand," she got a far off look in her eyes then came back to the hallway. "But we better get going or we'll miss our flight, I'll talk to you soon. Have a wonderful Christmas Jamie."

"You too Kess, I'll miss you so much," the two girl hugged and the men gave each other nods and said goodbye then the two couples set off in opposite directions for their separate vacations.

Outside Kess and John got a cab to the airport where Ororo saw them off with a special goodbye to Kess. "I'll talk to you soon Ororo," she said, "I'll send you back a bit of my home."

Ororo hugged the girl and patted John's back, "Take care you two," she said and waved as the boarded their plane.

After he finished putting their bags in the overhead compartment John sat back down next to Kess. "Well, now we're set. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the in-flight movie," he said. "Here, just in case my shoulder isn't soft enough." He handed her a pillow and a blanket in case she got tired during the trip.

"Why thank you Prince Charming," Kess replied and took the items. She yawned, "Well I think I will end up asleep for most of this trip. I haven't slept well all week. I've been so excited. I've told Marian all about you, and I know you're going to love Cairo."

John put his arm behind Kess' neck and she leaned into his shoulder, "I know I am, as long as you're there," he said seriously. She looked up into his eyes and looked back lovingly and she settled in for a nap on his shoulder just as the plane began to take off and John sighed contently.

Peter and Jamie knocked lightly and entered the professor's study. "You wanted to see us sir?" Jamie asked.

"Yes indeed, I have called you here to ask something of you. I have spoken to the President of Russia and I have told that I would be sending replacements for myself at the annual Christmas event he hosts. I would like both of you to be present at the even in my absence. I'm afraid I just can't leave the Institute now and you're help would be greatly appreciated," he concluded.

"Of course Professor," Peter replied seriously.

"Good, I'll send you all the details to the satellite uplink in the jet as soon as I know them."

"Oh awesome! This is going to be so much fun." Jamie replied excited to have been chosen for this opportunity. "I guess I better go get a nice dress to wear," she said and turned out the door.

"Thanks Professor, we won't let you down," Peter smiled as he followed Jamie out the door.

"I know you won't," Xavier replied, "I will see you both when you return, have a safe flight."

Back in her room Jamie pulled a dress from her closet that was still wrapped in plastic. "Now I can wear this," she announced to Peter as she pulled the plastic off. "I bought it for the next special occasion that would arise because I absolutely loved it when I saw it." She ran her hand gently over the black silk and fingered the tiny rhinestones that made up the straps.

"It's beautiful," Peter said his eyes on Jamie not the dress. He could just envision her wearing it while they were out with the well-to-do at the Russian ball. It was a clingy dress that would highlight her every curve and perfection and he loved it. Once he snapped out of his daydream he said, "All ready to go?"

"Yup, all set," she replied and packed up her dress with her other clothes and they went down to the hanger to load the jet.

Jean, Scott, and Logan were waiting down there for them to say goodbye. "We'll miss you so much Jamie, take care and make sure you take a lot of pictures," Jean said and hugged her tightly.

"Yeah," Scott added, "We want to see all of the mysterious Rasputin family," he nudged Peter who grinned and shook his hand.

"You be careful out there kid," Logan said to Jamie with a cigar in his mouth, "Because I'm expecting those new cigars when you get back."

Jamie smiled and wrinkled her nose, "Don't worry Logan, nothing will keep me from getting you the smokes you need," she laughed.

"Alright, and a phone call or two wouldn't do you any harm either," he hugged her, "Gotta make sure you're still alive every once in a while. You can never tell with those Russians, hidden agendas they all got."

"Russians and mutants named Wolverine," Jamie said.

"You got me. Hey Peter, I expect you to take care of this little lady," Logan said to Pete who towered over him, "I don't want to have to do some damage to your exterior if she comes back any less happy than she is now."

"Oh don't worry Logan, I can guarantee she will be even happier when we get back," Peter replied with something in his eye that Logan caught. They stared at each other for a moment then Logan patted him on the back.

"Well, we'll see you when you get back," Jean said to break up the goodbyes, "You don't want to make Peter's family wait any longer to see him." With that Jamie and Peter boarded the jet and took their seats. Jamie waved at everyone left on the ground until they were long out of sight.

Jamie sat back in her chair and looked straight ahead then to Peter, "You sure you can fly this?" she asked sarcastically.

Peter grinned devilishly, "With my eyes closed," he said.

"Well don't try to show off," she replied, "You keep those eyes straight ahead mister." Jamie sat for a bit and looked out the window as the clouds flew by, "Is it ok to get up?" she asked.

"Yeah, and I'll put it on auto-pilot, then we're good to go for 20 hours," he said then asked, "It's 11 AM now, what do you want to do?"

Jamie stood up and walked around Peter's chair and put her arms around his neck while he started to put the plane into auto pilot, "Oh, I don't know," she proceeded to sit on his lap, arms still around his neck, "Why don't you tell me more about your family? Your childhood too, and you could teach me a little Russian, that way I don't sound like a fool." She laughed and Peter shook his head.

"Oh you won't sound like a fool, but I think I can teach you a few key phrases," Peter got out of his chair and the two sat in more comfortable seats in the back and Peter began the long story of his childhood and how he came about the Xavier mansion. Soon he taught her simple phrases like please and thank you, and other things. Hours went by and Jamie listened intently often interjecting her own comments on his life. At around 5 they talked about almost everything there was, "And that's all I can really tell you, but I am sure my mom will fill you in on anything I missed," Peter said and looked down at Jamie's face. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder while he had been speaking, "Is my life really that boring?" he asked more to himself than Jamie.

Jamie sighed softly and moved a little to get comfortable, "No it's not you, plane rides make me sleepy, I heard every word you said," she spoke through a yawn without opening her eyes, "I'm not heavy am I?" she asked concerned about him being uncomfortable.

"Nope, you're just right," he replied and smiled. He watched the clouds go by as he cradled her in his arms in her deep sleep. While he watched a thousand questions raced through his head not questions about Jamie but for her. She had heard his whole life story he wanted to know more about her, but he also wanted to know more than that. His nerves got the better of him every time he thought about what he would say and his skin seemed to crawl with nervousness and excitement. Sometimes he wondered if she felt the same way about him that he felt about her but then he always knew she did. They both knew they were meant for each other. As the hours went by Peter began to fall asleep himself with her in his arms and his mind running away with him.

"Are we there yet?" Jamie mumbled slightly through her sleep.

Peter woke to her question and looked at the clock, "Yeah only a few more hours to go. You hungry?"

"Oh yes," she replied waking up with the thought of food on her mind, "What do you have?"

"Well let's go see," Peter smiled and lifted her up in his arms and walked to the back of the plane where the food was stored. He set Jamie down on the table and turned to the cabinets. "Alright we've got cereal, soup, um, oatmeal…"

"Oatmeal?" she asked.

"Coming right up, do you want some tea too?" Peter asked.

"Yes please," Jamie replied.

The radio began to beep, there was a call coming in, "Go ahead," Peter said into the speaker.

"Piotr?" a woman's voice asked

"Da mater," he answered. Peter and his mother talked for a little while, in Russian, and Peter told Jamie after the call that his family wanted to know how things were and that they couldn't wait to see them.

"I hope they like me," Jamie said as she took as sip of the tea Peter made her.

"They will," he said as he fixed her oatmeal, "They basically know you. I made sure of that," he handed her the bowl, "Trust me they will love you." He saw some doubt in her eyes and lifted her face to his. "They'll fall in love with you as quickly as I did," he concluded as he gently kissed her. Jamie smiled.

Hours passed and both Peter and Jamie began to feel a bit tired again. There wasn't much to do to keep someone active on a jet and after reading most of her books Jamie yawned. "I think I'm going to take another nap," she said. Peter agreed and he let her curl up on his lap in the back of the plane on a soft cot. They both snoozed for a bit until Peter jerked awake from a dream waking Jamie in the process. He looked at the clock which read 5:30 though it was still American time.

"I had better get to the front," he said and stood up, "We're probably a half an hour away and the weather down there is miserable."

Jamie stretched, "Ok, is there some place in the back where I can wash up? I feel pretty gross from all that sleeping."

"Yeah," Peter said, "There's a little shower in the back where that door is there. And dress warm, it's pretty cold out there." Jamie nodded and grabbed her bag of clothes she had brought to change into and went in the back to shower. Peter took a drink from a bottle of water he took from the small refrigerator, "It's good to be home," he said.

"Please re-buckle your seat-belts and turn off all electrical devices please," said the stewardess' voice over the plane's intercom, "We will be arriving in Cairo momentarily. We hope you've enjoyed flight and please have a safe and happy holiday season."

Kess stretched like a cat as John yawned, "Now all we have to do is brave the customs agent and then our escape from the tyrannical rule of the Americas is complete," he said.

Kess laughed, "Then all I have to do is escape from you," she said and poked his stomach.

John stretched and let his arms fall around her, "You know you could never do that. My hold over you is eternal. Besides you came to me willingly," he winked.

"Or something like it," she said. The plane finally landed and they stood up to leave, John grabbed their carry-on luggage and Kess got their tickets and passports in order. They didn't have to spend too long in customs; the Professor had made arrangements for them since he was on good terms with most International Officials and before they knew it they were on an escalator down to the main lobby of the airport. A heavy jacket hung over Kess' shoulder and John had tied his sweatshirt around his bag because there was no need for it in the place they were going to. Though the temperature did drop down to the 50's occasionally there was really nothing heavier than a light sweatshirt to wear. The pair talked a little about what was around them, John hadn't been out of the country for any pleasure reasons, only for missions, and he was excited to be able to look at things around him for fun instead of having to focus on them for a different purpose.

Their conversation was interrupted by a girl's voice calling Kess' name. "Kesskallome!" she shouted.

Kess looked up excitedly and grabbed John's arm, "Look it is Carolina," she said and waved. They ran the rest of the way down the escalator and Kess dropped her bag and scooped up the girl in her arms. "Hello Carolina, I missed you!"

The nine-year old girl's short brown hair that had at one time been pinned up nicely was now in a frenzy about her head. The girl's mother and father stood off a little ways but when they heard her cries they came over to where Kess was just standing up. "We missed you," said the woman as she put her arms around her. Her soft brown hair fell around her shoulders, "And this must be John. It's nice to finally meet you," she said and hugged him tightly, "I've heard so much."

"It's nice to meet you too," he replied, "I've heard wonderful things about Egypt from her too."

Kess slipped her hand into John's as they walked through the airport with Marian, Ferdinand and Carolina, their daughter. Ferdinand helped them carry their bags and the two men packed everything into the family's small car. When they first walked out of the sliding glass doors John covered his eyes from the bright sun. Cairo was not what he had expected; there were modern buildings, bridges, restaurants, and flashing lights. When he was young he had visited Florida and it reminded him of Orlando or Tampa.

"Impressed?" Kess asked when she saw how he looked around.

"Yeah," he said, "I sure am. It's not what I had envisioned."

"Most people are that way. Even though there are some places that still keep with older traditions Cairo has definitely gone western. But don't worry; we'll see plenty of little villages. I want to take you to the place where I was born."

"I can't wait," he said. They climbed into the car, Kess with Carolina next to her and John with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and set off for their host's home not too far from the city limits.

Jamie entered the cockpit donning a black turtle neck, jeans, and a pair of boots Peter had given her as an early Christmas gift. She grabbed a donut from the in-plane pantry and walked to her cockpit chair and put on her seat belt.

"Perfect timing," Peter said when she sat down, "We're about to land. I talked to my mom; she says Ilyana is so excited she won't stay in the house." Peter laughed to himself as he remembered his younger sister. She had been a lot younger the last time he had seen her but she had always had an electric personality. If it hadn't been for her he never would have figured out about his mutant abilities. Years ago on their small family farm he had saved her from their tractor when it had gone out of control. He was her protector and she was his little angel.

"I can't wait to meet her," Jamie said. Part of her had always wished for an older sibling or any sort of sibling that she could really be close too. She hoped though, that maybe she could find a relationship of that sort in Peter's family.

A moment later Peter began to take the plane down to land; he was a skilled pilot and they had no problems with the landing. Jamie and Peter got up from their seats and put on their warm hats, gloves, and thick parkas to prepare for the cold of Russia. Peter grabbed their three bags in one hand and Jamie opened the hatch. Snow came raining in and Jamie got her first taste of Russia. She wiped the snow off her and smiled at Peter. Her nose was already bright red and Peter could only laugh at her. The two walked out and cloaked the plane so no one would bother it. The snow fell so hard they could hardly see the house that stood but a few yards away. Peter took a deep whiff of the air; "Ah, do you smell that?" he said to Jamie, "Smells like mom's been cooking."

He had barely finished his sentence when a young girl's voice drifted through the snow. "Piotr!" yelled Ilyana as she came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.

Peter laughed as he hugged his sister and looked up at Jamie, "Ilyana this is Jamie, Jamie this is my sister Ilyana."

Ilyana looked up at Jamie with big blue eyes. Long blonde hair fell in her eyes and she brushed it away with a wide smile, "She's prettier than in the pictures," she said. Her English was fairly good; schooling and Peter had been the reasons she was so well spoken.

Jamie smiled and bent down. She held out her hand to the young girl, "Thank you, it's so nice to finally meet you Ilyana."

Peter picked up his sister and carried her on his shoulders as they walked to the house. Peter's home was small and modest set in the middle of a large expanse of snow covered fields. Jamie's eyes moved along the horizon as the falling snow slowed down to a pleasant flurry. The sun was falling slowly towards the edge of the world and the sky turned a bright blue then faded into a light orange hue. Where there were once multicolored fields in the distance now there was only a white blanket covering everything within eyesight. Jamie soaked up the view as they walked towards Peter's house. She followed her boyfriend and his sister to the small house from which a menagerie of delicious smell emanated. Just before they got to the porch the front door burst open with warm welcomes from Peter's mother and father. They were beyond happy to see their son and finally meet his girlfriend. Peter embraced his mother and clapped hands with his father for whom he had to translate because he spoke almost no English at all. Peter's mother knew some from helping her daughter with school work but her Russian accent was so strong it was sometimes hard to understand her.

"It's nice to meet you" Jamie said in barely recognizable Russian. Peter had taught her how to say 'thank you' as well as some other things in Russian so she would be prepared for meeting his family.

Jamie put out her hand to shake with Mrs. Rasputin but the kind woman gave her a big hug, "It's wonderful to meet you too," she said in English. Peter's mother was much shorter than he was and it was obvious by looking at her where Ilyana got her beautiful blonde hair. She was much shorter than her husband but sturdy and capable of labor; a true farmer's wife. Her blue eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses, had passed to her daughter as well as her wide smile. Peter's father looked much different, while had light brown hair and a long beard his eyes were dark brown and hawk-like. He was taller than his wife but neither of them were nearly the size of their son. "You can have Peter's room," his mother told Jamie, "If you are needing anything you tell me. Welcome to our home." With that Mrs. Rasputin excused herself and her husband back inside to finish cooking dinner. "Ilyana, you come to," she called to her daughter. Ilyana made a move to protest but with a stern look from her mother she complied.

When they were alone Jamie turned to Peter, "Where are you going to sleep?" she asked.

"Out on the couch," he replied as he began unpacking their bags once they had walked into his room.

"Oh no, I don't want to take your room, I'll sleep on the couch," Jamie said. She didn't want to kick anyone out of their room.

"Don't even think about it," he said, "I like the couch, and I'll be in to check on you all the time. The nights in Russia get pretty cold." He winked at her, "Don't worry about it," he said as he walked over and put his arms around her as she sat on his bed. Every time he touched her they both got chills. Together they felt perfect and warm even at the coldest time. Her skin against his was soft and smooth and it reminded him of being wrapped up in the velvet blankets at the Institute when he had first arrived. She fit into his shoulder perfectly as if she were made to lean against him which he was pretty sure she was. His arms protected her and made her feel like she wasn't alone anymore and she didn't always have to fight. He looked down into her eyes, "Never thought I would have such a pretty girl in my room before," he said which pulled a grin and a blush from Jamie.

She bit her lip as she always did and said, "I'm happy to be here, I love your family," she looked up into his eyes and saw herself reflected in them, but not just her as she was but her as she wanted to be and could be with the help and support of Peter. He put both his black sweatshirt clad arms around her and pulled her close to his muscular chest and held her for a little while. Jamie pulled up a little after a moment and ran her fingers through his short brown hair and rested her hands on the back of his neck. He leaned down and kissed her softly. It was amazing how gently he acted around her when he had the power to crush almost any living thing. Their kiss ended and they smiled as they both continued to unpack. They did so until Peter's mother came down the hall to tell them it was time for dinner.

Mrs. Rasputin had made a Russian Roast and Jamie loved it. They talked all night and laughed, Jamie was amazed at how easily she was accepted into the family. The potatoes and roast were incredible and she complemented Peter's mother continually on its excellence. After dinner they moved to the living room where Peter's mother brought out coffee and little tea cookies. Peter sat near the fire and Jamie placed herself between his legs; she leaned back against his chest and watched the flames leap and play. As they sat Peter's father talked to his son, he asked him they had met and Peter answered him. Jamie loved to listen to Peter talk in Russian it made her feel like a part of his home life as well. He spoke in English to her all the time but it was obvious that his first language, and the one he was more comfortable with, was Russian.

As Peter spoke Jamie began to think about the first time they had met, when he touched her shoulder to lead her away from Matt and his cronies. She remembered their first kiss and all the things they had been through together, the ups and down, and how she knew she could never love anyone else like she loved him. She came back to reality when Peter said her name while he was still talking to his father. The kindly man smiled down on her and Jamie looked up sweetly as they continued their conversation. It didn't last much longer and Mr. Rasputin watched as his son held his arms tightly around Jamie, watching her watch the fire blaze. He was very happy his son had found someone so perfect for him and he thought back to when he had met his wife for the first time. Though they were both poor they still had as much love and devotion as the two people in front of him did. He sighed and put his arm around his wife and leaned back on the couch they sat on. Then a thought came to him, "Peter," he said in Russian, "What are your intentions with her?"

Peter looked up and smiled, "You'll have to wait on that one Dad," he replied in Russian.

The family sat in silence a little longer until Peter's mother yawned and stood up, "Well I think we are going to bed. Don't stay up too late, you both need your rest. Come Ilyana." The Rasputin's walked down the hall to their room with Ilyana on her way to her room after Jamie and Peter said goodnight.

"They're so wonderful," Jamie said as she cuddled up against Peter's chest

He held her tighter with his strong arms, "Yeah they really like you, especially Ilyana. She said she think of you as a sort of big sister because I've told her so much about you," he said with a yawn. They sat a little longer, just being happy with each other's company but then Peter yawned again and said, "Well we better get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll go explore," he added.

The two went to Peter's room and Jamie changed out of her jeans and into a pair of long-johns and a long sleeved shirt. Peter had gone into his closet and came out in his own long-johns. He kissed her sweetly and said goodnight before going back into the living room to sleep. They looked so alike in their night clothes; Peter with his short hair and Jamie with her messy locks. Jamie watched him down the hall and then closed the door when he was gone and curled up in Peter's bed, wrapping the warm wool blanket around her.

"Jamie! Wake up!" Peter said as he gently shook her to wake her. He had been asleep in the living room when he heard strange moaning and whimpering from his room. He had gone into check on Jamie and found her whispering to herself and thrashing about the bed. Jamie sprang up in a sweat as tears rolled down her face. She looked scared, as if she had seen a ghost, Peter saw the fear in her eyes and held her tightly; hoping to scare away whatever has frightened her. She was shaking violently and Peter picked up the blanket and wrapped it comfortingly around her. "Shh, Jamie it's okay, I've got you," he said as he held her tighter, wondering what on earth could have scared her so. "What did you see?"

"My mother was chasing me – trying to kill me – calling me names – and – and then it went dark. I saw – Oh no, no, no – I saw the faces of all the – all the people I've – killed," she said as she burst into tears against Peter's chest.

"You're alright" he said soothingly, "I've got you; you're safe, shh…" Peter stayed awake until she fell back to sleep and one he was sure she was sleeping deeply and easily he got up and decided to call the Professor.

"Peter?" asked the familiar voice on the other end of the phone, "What is it son?"

"It's Jamie Professor," he replied.

"Is something wrong?" asked Xavier quickly.

"No, I don't think so," Peter replied, "It's just that she had a terribly vivid dream about those times she told us about; the things that make her nervous in the dark."

"Oh I see," Xavier replied, "But is she ok now?"

"Yes sir, she's sleeping fine. I held her for a while and I think she'll be ok now."

"Good Peter, I think the only thing anyone can do for her now is what you've done. There's no cure for our past but what can make it easier is someone that loves you. I'm glad you called me for this, but don't worry. She should be fine, we all have bad dreams sometimes."

"Yes sir," Peter replied as he hung up. The Professor's words had comforted him, he was still concerned for her but he knew that she was alright now as long as he was there. He walked back into her room and lay down next to her. The Professor was right, she was so comfortable with him, even in sleep she nestled into his chest and slept soundly all night.

The next morning Peter had dressed and came out into the kitchen where his mother was fixing coffee and breakfast. "Good morning," he said to her in Russian.

"Good morning sweetheart," she replied in the same language, "How did you sleep?"

"It was good, Jamie had a nightmare so I stayed with her for half the night," he said as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. He sat at the small table dressed in a pair of jogging pants and a long sleeve, very soft shirt. His messy hair spiked out all over the place and his face was very tired looking. His mother sat across from him a moment later and smiled. They sat silently each sipping their coffee until Peter caught his mother staring at him. "What?" he asked curiously with a cocked head.

"Nothing, you just look so happy, tired, but none the less happy," she said. She reached over the table and pat his face gently.

Peter grinned, "I am happy, and I have been for about two years now. She's the greatest thing in my life," he concluded with a loving look in his eyes.

"Mmm, something smells good," Jamie said as she stretched her arms. She wore a pair of jeans over her long-johns and one of Peter's shirts. Her hair was messy even though she had tried to pull it back into a short pony-tail. She gave Peter's mother a hug and then gave Peter a kiss and sat down, "Good morning," she said.

They ate breakfast together after Ilyana finally joined them. Peter's mother told Jamie stories of Peter's childhood and the tall strong man spent most of the morning red-faced. Peter's father came in, interrupting the conversation, and said something to Peter.

"What did he say?" asked Jamie when she saw Peter nod and begin to stand up.

"He just asked if I could help him with the truck. It's frozen in place."

"I got it," Jamie said cheerfully as she jumped up and put on her boots and hat. She followed Peter's father out the door into the snow.

"She's going get sick without a jacket on," Ilyana said as she put some food in her mouth.

"She doesn't get sick, she has healing powers so she doesn't even get a sniffle," Peter said with a grin.

Jamie came back in a few minutes later, stomping the snow off her boots, "That was fun," she commented.

Peter's dad came in a second after her with his eyes wide in disbelief. He said something in Russian and everyone but Jamie laughed. She looked at Peter who was still laughing but answered her look, "He wondered where you keep your strength," he said.

Jamie laughed and sat back down to finish her breakfast. After they finished eating Jamie helped Mrs. Rasputin clean up the table while Peter went out to the barn with his father to see some of the new renovation he had done. When he came back in Jamie had already changed into better clothes and Peter did the same. They decided to go out for a walk to see the land Peter's family owned. The snow was fresh from the night's storm as the couple walked and talked. Peter showed her all the places he used to play a child, naming hurts and talents he had discovered during his youth.

"Right here," he said and stopped.

Jamie turned to him, "What where?"

Peter grinned, "This is where I got my first kiss," he said with a blush. He became shier anytime he talked about his past and other girls, no matter how insignificant they were.

"Oh really now? Who with?" Jamie asked slyly.

"Her name was Natalia. She was in my class and I was walking her home from my house. We had been doing a project for science I think and it just kind of happened, she kissed me," Peter concluded with a nostalgic look in his eyes. He came back a moment later from his memories and didn't see Jamie anywhere, "Jamie?" he said and turned around. All of a sudden a snowball hit him in the back, and Peter heard a giggle. He spun back around where he heard he laugh but she wasn't there. He stood on his toes and looked around; Jamie sat on the limb of a tree high above Peter where he couldn't see her. She grinned and tried to contain her urge to laugh. She blended in with the tree and snow in her white jacket.

She sprang down when his back was turned, "Gotcha!" she said as she landed on his back. They tumbled to the ground together and played in the snow until it was time for them to go back for lunch. The rest of the day sped by as they wandered more around the fields and nearby forest. Soon evening came and they had another fun dinner and quiet night of sleep.

Kess and John had settled in comfortably in the average sized home of their hosts. Mr. and Mrs. Velasco had made up a bed for each of their guests in the two small guest rooms on the back of the house. Originally from Spain the family wanted to keep their home in the style of the villas in their old home. Ferdinand has moved his family to Egypt for business purposes and had been trying to deal with a two-year old daughter when a young girl had tried to grab a meal from the picnic basket they had set out for their own usage. Kesskallome had been 13 when she first met the Velasco's after running away from her own home in a small, primitive village in the desert lands of the country. She was taken in and lived with them for almost two years, going from Egypt then to Spain with them, before her mutant secret was discovered by neighbors and she found herself running away once again. She had kept in touch with the first people to show her real kindness and had never forgotten them.

Rich green vines wound their up the trellis on the side of the house when Kess and John woke up early on their second morning in Cairo. Ferdinand was at work and Marian had taken Carolina to school before she went to her own job so the two were left to their own devices. "What shall we do today?" John asked as he made bagels for himself and Kess.

"Well, since everyone else is out I think we could take a trip to my home village, if you want to that is," she replied from the bathroom as she finished braiding her hair and dressing herself. She handed John his blue hoodie as she came out and picked a piece of fuzz off her green turtleneck, the temperature had dropped to a cool 53 degrees outside so they were dressing warm that day; neither had ever had a taste for cold weather even though they had lived in New York.

"Of course," he said as he sat down at the small breakfast nook with a pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice, "I've been looking forward to that since we decided to come here."

Kess sat down next to him and started to spread cream cheese over her bagel, "Good," she said and smiled, "Because I think there is a bus going out that way around noon. We'll only have to walk a little bit and by now they have modernized that area at least some. It's going to be very different from the last time I was there." She had a dreamy look in her eyes that might also have had an element of nightmare with it as well. Many of her experiences before she had come to civilization had been unpleasant thought she wouldn't call her past a tragic one.

They finished eating and John grabbed his wallet for bus fare and went to the bus station. After a short argument about which bus to take they finally figured it out and began their trip. As the scenery outside changed from western and industrial to more primitive and harsh John said, "Boy this sure is different from back home."

"I'll say," Kess replied, "I think I've been spoiled by the city, there's no way I would want to go back to that lifestyle," she said as they passed a woman who was hand washing clothes in a bin of water with stones and hanging them over a line she connected between two small huts. Soon all the buildings had disappeared and all they could see was yellow sand for miles. After an hour they arrived at a tour stop where they got off. Most of the people on the bus with them had been there for a tour of some of the older villages but Kess and John were not and therefore they went their separate direction after grabbing a few bottles of water.

"How far is it?" John asked his girlfriend.

"Not that far actually, there's a small river that passes through this area just over that dune in front of us and the village is right next to it," she pointed ahead of them to a large wave of sand. It didn't take them long to get to the dune and once they were at the top Kesskallome opened her arms ahead of them, "Welcome to my home," she said and took John's hand as they continued down the sand dune. Below them was a small village where many women who looked almost exactly like Kess when John had first met her were washing clothes or making meals for their families. There were no men around because they were all off at their small jobs in the tour stop or other places. Children ran and played and all in all it was not the poor, down cast place many would have thought it to be. Huts stretched a little ways off but not too far away from the river.

"Does anyone here remember you?" John asked as they walked through the village seemingly unnoticed by the residents.

"I doubt it," Kess replied, "I don't look anything like I did before."

"Do visitors come here often?" he asked, he was slightly surprised and almost unnerved by the fact that no one was paying any attention to their presence.

"I guess so," she said now noticing the same odd thing. "Probably, that bus we were on visits most of these places so I doubt we're anything new looking to them. Plus, most of the men seem to work away in the city so they're not as primitive as they were when I was here." They walked a little ways along the river until Kess stopped, "Look!" she said excitedly and dragged him off to a little hut that was slightly hidden in the shade by another sand dune. "That's my house," she said softly. They walked closer to see that a young woman was cooking while a little girl ran around the outside of the house chasing a bug. Kess remembered times when she had done the same though far away from her village where she didn't receive the shady looks other villagers gave her; she hadn't been able to control her powers until she was older and a snake-child wasn't really accepted immediately. "It's good to see this place again," she said, "It's been in my dreams recently." She furrowed her brow as they walked away back towards the dune they had come over. She looked back with a slight frown.

"What is it?" John asked. He knew her as well as he knew himself and his mental mutation gave him an even further insight to her thoughts and feelings.

"Nothing, just my dreams, nothing important," she replied, "Really. If it bothered me I would tell you, I promise," she looked meaningfully into his eyes to reassure him.

"Alright," he said still a bit unsure, "As long as you promise then I guess we can get back."

"Good," she said cheerfully and they started the walk back to the bus that would take them back to the villa where family awaited them.

Jamie woke earlier than anyone else and decided she would help a little with breakfast. She started squeezing the oranges Mrs. Rasputin had received as a gift from friends in the States just as she had seen the woman do the day before. It wasn't long until Jamie's nightshirt had become a sticky orange; she looked helplessly at the twisted orange peels that lay before her. She heard a soft laugh from behind her and turned to see Peter's mother holding her hand over her mouth to stifle her mirth.

"Do you need any help my dear?" she asked.

Jamie merely nodded and smiled. "I think I've made quite a mess," she said.

"Oh don't you worry," the aging woman said, "Oranges are tricky, here let me show you."

Peter woke to the delightful sound made when one woman enjoys the company of another woman. He got up to see his mother and girlfriend making breakfast for the family together in the kitchen. Ilyana jogged out from her room to see what was going on. "I guess we're getting a special breakfast today," she said.

"I guess so," Peter replied.

Jamie and Mrs. Rasputin served coffee and orange juice along with pancakes and cereal for Ilyana. Mr. Rasputin ate quickly before excusing himself to finish some farm work before their trip that evening. They were going to Moscow to get ready for the ball Peter and Jamie had promised to attend. Peter offered to help his father as soon as he was finished eating and his father accepted.

The three women were left at the table to talk and eat and as soon as Ilyana was finished she said to Jamie, "Would you like to come and see my room?" she asked tentatively.

Jamie nodded eagerly, "Of course," she said.

"You two go, I'll clean up here," Mrs. Rasputin said before either girl could start to offer help.

Ilyana took Jamie's hand and led her down the hall to her room. The inside was painted a light blue to match her eyes and posters of Brad Pitt were on the wall. "Peter sent them to me," she said, "He knows mamma and papa don't go to the city often so he's the one that keeps me connected to the outside." Jamie and Ilyana laughed for a moment while Ilyana went over to her dresser to pull out a thick book. "This is my photo album," she said as she handed the book to Jamie, "It's mostly me and Peter, the pictures in the back are of some of my friends."

Jamie looked through the book and once again felt a small pang of sadness when she saw the happy faces on brother and sister. She felt more a part of this family than anyone else she had ever met, except for Kess of course, and in some way knowing that they liked her so much made her feel better about not having one of her own. "You two look so cute," she said.

"Yeah," Ilyana replied, "I miss Peter a lot when he's not here. Maybe someday in the future he'll come back here and you two can live near us. Then I can see both of you all the time. Wouldn't that be great?"

"It would be wonderful," Jamie said. They spent the rest of the morning in Ilyana's room laughing and talking about Peter and other boys in Ilyana's life. Jamie learned all the gossip on who's who at the local school. After lunch Peter's mother declared that it was time for them all to pack so she could inspect their bags and make sure everyone had everything they needed. There was chaos in the small house as everyone was hurrying to grab tooth brushes and clothes that hadn't yet made it from the wash to the drawer. But by six o'clock everyone had their things ready and began the long ride into Moscow. At almost seven thirty they arrived at the five-star hotel called the Baltschug Kempinski, compliments of Professor Xavier. They walked into the hotel and were immediately met by the door man who offered to take their bags up to their room. The walls were tall and met by a gleaming white roof; their foot steps echoed across the marble floors as they walked to the concierge. Tall purple marble pillars rose up to meet golden and wooden handrails that extended the length of the second floor where they could see several people walking down the hall to their rooms, dressed in fine clothes. To the left a spiral staircase with white marble steps rose to the second floor, leading the eye to the large light fixtures made of elegant gold and bright round lights.

"Name?" said the concierge sweetly. A woman dressed in a white shirt with a brown name tag talked to Mr. Rasputin so they figured out their room number and accommodations. They were given a key and a bellboy led them up to the top floor of the hotel where he opened the door to their suite and left. The suite had a living room, three bedrooms, and a kitchenette.

Ilyana immediately leapt onto the large, soft sofa in the middle of the room and Mr. and Mrs. Rasputin went to look at their room. Mrs. Rasputin said something loudly in Russian from her room and Peter and Ilyana laughed. "What did she say?" Jamie asked.

"She's just astounded with this place. She never thought she's stay somewhere like this," Peter replied. "It is a beautiful hotel. I can't believe the Professor got this for us at so late a date."

Mr. Rasputin came out of the room with his wife in tow, they were both smiling. Peter's father was in shock at the majesty of the hotel and his mother was grateful for the opportunity to be in such a lovely place without having to pay. Ilyana ran to her room to look at it and unpack while Mrs. Rasputin inspected the kitchen. "This is, good I'll be able to cook still," she said.

"Mom," Peter said smiling, "We're in a beautiful five-star hotel in Moscow, you are not allowed to do any cooking for the duration of our stay."

Peter's mother slapped his chest and smiled, "Alright then. Oh my! Look at this beautiful tree!" In the corner of the living room was a tall, real tree already decorated with ornaments and lights next to a fire place that was smoldering quietly. "We will have to thank the Professor and buy him a good gift this year."

Ilyana came out of her room, "Mama, can we go look in the stores?" she asked.

"Yes dear, but let's get settled first," replied her mother.

Peter sat on the couch and Jamie climbed onto his lap. "This is a really beautiful place," she said.

"I know," Peter replied, "It's like nothing Mother or Father have ever seen before."

"No I mean Russia in general," Jamie said, "I mean, I've been plenty of places so far but none of them really compare. Just look outside. You can see forever and it's like a light show out there. I'm going to have to buy fifteen more cameras for this. I wish Kess could see this."

"Well she will once we get home and you show her," Peter said.

"True, well, I think I'm going to go shower," Jamie said.

"Alright, I'll unpack our things," he replied as she went into the bathroom to shower. He grabbed his bag and her bag and took them into the room they would share. The room was almost twice the size of Peter's room back home. The bed had soft linen and fluffy pillows and there were two windows that stretched from the top of the room to the floor that looked out onto Moscow. Wispy, white drapes fluttered in the air conditioning and thick red and gold ones were tied to the side. Peter started putting their clothes away then went to watch TV with his mother on the sofa in the living room. Peter's father had taken Ilyana down to the stores so she could shop and he could get some fresh air, he hadn't been the capital in a long time.

"What's on your mind sweetheart?" Peter's mother asked while they sat.

"What? I didn't say anything," he replied with a laugh.

Mrs. Rasputin gave her son a knowing look, "I know you better than anyone even if you do save the world," she said with a motherly air to her voice.

Peter leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped in front of his face as he sighed, sharing a smile with his mother who could already guess his thoughts.

Jamie came out of the bathroom after a long, hot shower wrapped in warm, fluffy towel. Peter was standing next to the window with his back to her, holding something she couldn't see. He was already dressed in his nice pants and shirt, his jacket sitting on the bed. "What ya got there, stud?" she asked catching him off guard.

He tucked whatever was in his hands into his pocket and whirled around, "Nothing, just looking at something I found in my coat." Peter looked at Jamie standing there in her towel with her hair wrapped up in another one, some loose strands sticking out from underneath. Water droplets still glistened on her smooth skin and she tilted her head with a smile.

"You smell good," he said.

"Thanks," she said blushing as she began to search through her bag for her make up bag, an early Christmas gift from Kess who knew she would need help.

Peter went into the bathroom to begin fixing his hair while Jamie, who had put on a robe, blow-dried hers. Peter kept glancing at her while she did so; it was the little things she did that made him happiest, like how she scrunched her nose whenever her hair flew the wrong way in the drier. Her hair was blown all over and she looked more than frustrated. The way she always bit her lip when she was shy or how she plays with her hair when she's bored or nervous. Jamie sighed with aggravation as she put down the brush. "What's wrong?" Peter asked.

"I wish Kess was here, she always helped me out with this," Jamie replied, "I guess I'll just have to manage." After she had pulled back the hair from the sides of her face with a diamond clip on each side she came out and grabbed her dress from the closet. "I'll be out in a minute," she sand and closed the bathroom door.

Peter was messing with his bow tie, trying to get it on straight when Ilyana came in, "Hey Peter," she said. She saw he was having problems with his tie and told him to sit down, "I'll help you with that," she said.

Peter sat on the bed and let her do her work. He watched her; unable to believe that she had grown up so much over the past year, it made him sad to think about what he was missing. "Where did you learn to do this?" he asked her when she had finished and he inspected the job in the mirror.

"Mamma taught me when I went to my first dance," she replied.

"Thanks," he said and hugged her with compassion and gratitude.

"Sure," she said, "Mamma wants to take some pictures of you and Jamie before you leave."

"Alright," Peter replied as she left the room. He put on his jacket and grabbed the camera checking his appearance one last time, "You about ready?" he called through the bathroom door.

"Yeah," Jamie replied and walked out. Peter's jaw dropped to the floor when he saw her. Her dress was a long, sleek black one with diamond straps that cut across the edge of her shoulder coming to a V at her breasts. A slight went from her thigh to the floor where little diamond sandals peeked out. Peter was lost for words at the beauty before him. She looked so perfect and he felt the same jitters he had when he had first met her. The dress emphasized every curve of her body giving her a deep elegant and feminine look. Three earrings, each a thin line of diamonds, dangled from her ears and reflected the light in rainbows. "Watch out James Bond, Peter Rasputin is here," she said as she looked at him in his tuxedo and bow tie.

"Peter, breathe," she said with a laugh seeing the look on his face.

"I can breathe?" he said sarcastically. Jamie picked up her black shawl and they went into the living room where the rest of the family was. Peter's mother made a fuss over them as she took the pictures and in a little while they were able to leave. They put on their coats and walked to the National Hotel where the Ball was held. There walk to the hotel was beautiful as a little snow fell around them. They put up the hoods on their coats so as to keep their hair and clothes dry. Tall buildings with spires could be seen and a greenish glow took over the city from the bright lights. The rich architecture of Moscow was evident in bright white buildings and red stone. Jamie's heals clacked on the pavement as they walked in happy silence, both of them taking in the view. At the National Hotel the doors were opened for them by two attendants and closed quickly to keep out the cold and snow.

"Welcome to the President's Ball and the National Hotel, may we take you coats?" one attendant asked. Peter and Jamie yielded their coats to the employees and walked through the next doors which led them to a huge room filled with music and light.

They walked out on the platform that was the top of a red carpeted staircase looking out over the other guests in their merriment. To their right a man at a podium stood and announced their names, "Here to represent Professor Charles Xavier from New York is Mr. Piotr Nicholavich Rasputin and Ms. James Logan. The couple walked down the stairs into the crowd. Jamie held tightly to Peter's hand so she didn't loose him. Representatives of all different countries from all over the world were present, ready to spend their holiday in Russia. The room was long and wide and on every side of the large dance floor in the center were tables where people sat and talked and sipped wine. At the end of the room there was a long table that faced out from the wall to the dance floor and that was here Peter and Jamie found their seats. Peter pulled out her chair and she sat down gracefully. He noticed how she exuded femininity and gentleness. She looked so sophisticated, he had never seen her in such a way. While she had been dressed up and beautiful at that fall dances they had attended she had never seemed so beautiful as she did now. It was an entirely different, mature beauty. They sat and talked quietly to each other while other people continued to come in. Women were dressed up so elegantly and Jamie thought about how Kess would have loved to have been there. Almost a half an hour later everyone had finally arrived and were talking. The President of Russia came in and everyone stood and clapped. Escorted by his officers he walked to the table Jamie and Peter sat at and took a place next to Jamie. "Welcome," he said loudly once everyone had quieted down, "I want to thank you all for coming to our ball and I hope you have a wonderful time. Dinner will be served soon and until then, please enjoy!"

After the president spoke and sat down again the orchestra started up with slow and soft waltzing music while most of the guests began to talk quietly. In a choreographed scene three doors to the left opened and out poured a hundred waiters each carrying a covered dish. Like ants they milled among the guests placing trays and taking off covers to reveal small salads for everyone. Just as quickly as they had come they left, back to the kitchens to prepare the next course.

Once he finished speaking to the man on his left the President turned and noticed Jamie and Peter who were talking softly and surveying the room. "Well hello, you must be Charles' representatives. How are you, Mr. Rasputin?" Their familiarity stemmed from Peter's past missions to Russia and his involvement with the President before.

"I'm fine sir, and yourself?" he replied.

"I am doing extremely well," turning to Jamie he asked, "And who is this beautiful woman?"

Jamie blushed a deep red and smiled shyly, "James Logan sir," she said and put out a hand to him. He took it and kissed it and they continued with some polite conversation for a few more minutes. The other diplomats at the table once again required the President's input and Jamie and Peter were able to start on their main course. A delicious steak dinner with all the sides one could imagine, after they finished their main course they ate desert which was a fluffy chocolate mousse and a bowl of strawberries.

John shook violently in his sleep. He woke up suddenly with his head pounding and the remains of a dream still coursing through his brain. He wiped the sweat from his face and tried to sort through what had disturbed him so much. As the images formed before his eyes again he concentrated, using his mutant abilities to bring to life the nightmare he had just had. He was in a cell, a dark murky place. He was also in a different body. His hands were sandy brown and furry and he could tell that he was quite a bit taller than he normally was even though his vision was hazy. He heard screams and angry shouts in voices that made his blood run cold. When the dream vision cleared slightly he could tell that he was strapped upright to a wall and before he could discern any more mind numbing shocks of electricity ravaged his body. John moaned in pain and as he did he heard a similar, painful groan coming from a higher voice. Instantly he recognized it as Kess and let his vision fade as he returned to reality. He flung open his door and ran into the room where Kess slept, across from him, though now she was in the throes of a horrible nightmare. She was drenched in sweat and her covers lay strewn across the floor while she moved violently, if John hadn't known better he would have thought she was having a seizure.

"Kess, wake up," he said urgently in her ear as he gathered her in his arms to stop her movements. "Kess it's just a dream." He hugged her tightly and eventually she woke up.

She pushed her hair out of her face and buried her face in John's bare chest. She was sobbing and shivering from the terrible dream still. "John," she said between breaths, "What's going on? Why are they doing that to him?" She wrapped her arms around his thin stomach and held on to him as if she would fall away if she didn't hold tight.

John hushed her gently and rocked her as he rubbed her back, the old t-shirt he had given her to wear soaking in sweat. "Doing it to who?" he asked softly.

"My father," she choked through sobs.

John took a deep breath, "I know, I had the same dream, I wasn't sure who it was until now."

"How…how can someone be doing that to him?" Kess asked, she had almost no relationship with the father she hadn't really met until a few years before but family is family no matter what.

"I don't know, sweetie," he replied, "We don't even know if it's real. We have idea where he is, if he's anywhere. We haven't seen him for at least two years."

"But it felt so real," Kess choked out before she buried her face deeper into his chest.

John rested his head on hers and held her close, humming softly to her until her chest stopped heaving and her breathing slowed to normal. "Get some sleep now, love," he whispered, "We'll call the Professor in the morning."

"Don't leave me," Kess breathed still holding close to him, she didn't show her vulnerability often and John knew how much her dream had scared her. His telepathic power gave him a special insight into people's dreams and he could tell that this was no ordinary nightmare.

"I won't," he whispered and helped her back into bed, pulling the covers over them both and holding her close in the crook of his arm.

"May I have this dance?" Peter asked as he stood up. They had finished their desert and as fewer and fewer tables held diners Peter decided to join them in converting to dancers.

Jamie looked up at him with a smile, "Of course," she accepted. She gave him her hand with all the elegance and grace a woman should have. He took it and felt the softness of her fingers against his skin as he led her through the crowd to the dance floor. Peter laid his hand on her lower back where the diamond straps met the silky black fabric and pulled her closer to him. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony with each other and the music. The music played slowly and Peter took the time to savor the smell of Jamie's hair and feel of her body next to his. They looked into each other's eyes as if time had stopped for no one but them. If no one around them knew them, they knew they were very deep in love. As big as Peter was he was a nimble dancer and their difference in size had no effect on the beautiful flow of their dance.

It was three long waltzes before either of them said a single word. Peter looked down at Jamie whose head rested on his chest and contemplated for a few minutes. "I love you," he said softly.

Jamie looked up with a smile, "I love you too," she replied, slightly surprised by the timing of the statement.

Peter smiled and watched her with every ounce of compassion he had in his soul. "Can I ask you something?" he questioned.

"Sure," Jamie replied. Her stomach did a slight flip because of his awkward behavior. For some reason she felt like he was on the verge of saying something important.

"You are the greatest thing that has ever come into my life. You mean the world to me Jamie. You are the most perfect woman I have ever met. You make me a better person and you make me feel like the strongest man in the world. Yeah I was before I met you, but you know what I mean. These past two years have been the greatest of my life." Jamie giggled a little before he continued. "I could never be happier with any other person as long as I live. You keep my heart beating. You make me feel like I'm home, no matter where I go." When Peter finished speaking he let go of Jamie and bent down on one knee and took out a small black box. He opened the black box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Jamie stopped breathing. It was a delicate silver ring with a single diamond. "Jamie, will you marry me?"

Jamie put her hand over her mouth and then her chest as the realization of his request hit her. Without a moment's pause she softly said, "Yes," as tears formed in her eyes. She put out her left hand and Peter slipped the ring on it. "Oh Peter, I can't believe this," she said as she admired the ring.

Peter stood up and hugged Jamie tightly followed by a kiss that seemed to make time stop. "I promise I will make you the happiest woman in the world," he whispered in her ear lightly making chills run up and down her spine.

Jamie looked up at him, into his deep eyes, and out a hand on his cheek, "You already have," she replied and drew him in for another kiss. All of a sudden their kiss was stopped by a huge explosion from the front doors. Peter held on to Jamie with his back to the explosion sheltering her from the split boards and debris flying across the room. Once the dust settled they could see men in black uniforms much like those of a S.W.A.T. team, hurry in with guns and helmets. The screaming guests moved to the back of the room away from the intruders and Jamie turned to Peter, "Get the President somewhere and keep him safe," she said. She quickly calculated roughly 50 men pouring through the opening where the doors had been and felt the anger growing inside her. She knew there was only one was to take them out and she was prepared for anything that happened. She turned her head to look behind her at Peter. She noted absentmindedly his quickened heart beat and the flush of blood to his face and felt a pang of sadness. She'd never fought in real life before, in a situation as dire as this one at least, and to think what might happen to Peter if she didn't succeed was unbearable to think about. She hardened her nerve and said, "When I tell you, hit the lights."

Peter saw the determination in her eyes and nodded, "Are you sure?" he asked concerned as she walked away from him and towards their enemy.

"Yeah just find the President," Jamie called over her shoulder as she moved like a hungry hound towards the men. Her dress was now covered in an ashy grey and floated around her feet like a cloud. Her hair was a mess and it all added to her bloodthirsty look. As guests ran past her she slashed out her claws and her eyes blackened over. The laser pointers of the enemies found their way to her as she walked and one anxious soldier pulled his trigger. The room went silent.

Peter could feel his blood pulse through his veins and his heart slam against his ribs with each passing second. A cold fear washed over him and he lost all control of his thoughts. His mind raced back to every memory he had ever had with Jamie, holding onto each one like a treasure in case they were all he had left of her when the lights came back on.

Jamie looked at her shoulder. The bullet had gone straight through it but she didn't feel any pain. The adrenaline coursing through her made her body feel numb and cold. As the wound began to heal itself she grinned evilly at the soldier, a look that sent shivers down his spine. "You're going to need more than that to stop me," she said in a bone chilling voice.

When he heard Jamie's voice relief let Peter breathe again and he searched for the Russian President. "Mr. President," Peter said running.

"What's she doing? She'll be killed!" the President replied in an urgent voice. The last thing he wanted was a person being murdered at his winter ball.

Peter couldn't help but smile a little, "Don't worry, she's got it taken care of," he replied, "Come on, we have to get you somewhere safe. Where are the light panels?"

"This way why?" replied one of the President's body guards.

Peter looked in the direction he pointed, "Just show me, and stay close Mr. President."

"Wait a sec, what makes you think you can protect him. How do we know you're not on the other side?" another body guard asked suspiciously.

Peter sighed annoyed but the President answered for him, "He is a student of Xavier's. He is entirely trustworthy, I'd rather know my life was in his hands than yours." He glared at his body guards who wavered at his wrath.

"Plus, I'm indestructible," Peter muttered as he changed into his Colossus form much to the surprise of the body guards and the admiration of the President.

Jamie stood stone still as the men surrounded her. One soldier pointed his gun at her with the laser pointing directly to the center of her forehead. "State your name," he growled.

"My name is Hellsbane," Jamie replied icily, "Colossus!" she shouted. Peter hit the lights and the room went dark. All that anyone could hear was the sound of metal on metal and the ripping of clothes. Guns fired and women screamed for what seemed like an eternity. Finally everything calmed down and Peter turned the lights back on. The bodies of the soldiers were strewn across the floor and Jamie was kneeling in the middle of all the destruction on the floor.

Peter hurried to her leaving the President with his body guards, and knelt down with her. "Are you ok?" he asked softly.

Jamie hung her head and a tear or two fell to the floor. She was rubbing the ring violently trying to clean it of blood. "I ruined it," she said in a low, miserable voice.

Peter pulled her close and whispered, "That doesn't matter Jamie. All I care about is who's wearing it," he said comfortingly. At that moment she broke down into full tears and fell into Peter's open arms. He wrapped himself around her and tried to warm her shaking, sweating body. He picked her up and carried her out of the sea of death.

Later the Russian police came by to question the guests. Peter stood with Jamie close to him using his arm to hold herself up. The President walked up to them solemnly, "I have spoken to the department's Chief, and you won't be facing any charges. I told them you were merely defending me and my guests," he said mostly to Jamie.

There was a silence between them for a few moments before Peter answered for Jamie, "Thank you Mr. President. Who were those people?"

The President sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I have no idea my friend, but if I find out anything I will be sure to inform you. You both have my deepest thanks. I will make a point to call Charles and tell him of your heroism. Please try to enjoy your remaining days in my country, do not let this situation over power your vacation. The bad times have passed for now." He tried to give Jamie an encouraging smile and clasped a hand with Peter.

"You are welcome sir," Peter replied, "From both of us," he added with a sad look at Jamie's blank façade. The President nodded and walked away with his guards in tow.

Peter put an arm around Jamie and walked her away from the commotion and toward a park that would lead them back to their hotel. They walked in silence for a while, watching the freshly fallen snow in rolling hills around them. It layered the bushes and flowers in a crystal white blanket keeping it safe until the loving hands of spring would wake them again. Peter felt like Jamie was still shaken from the attack and stopped halfway through the park. He turned a looked at her searching her downcast eyes for any sort of hint as to how he could make her feel better. Jamie looked down at the ground with tears beginning top form again. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "You had this whole thing planned and I ruined it…"

Peter took her chin in his hand and lifted her face to look at him, "We can fix it, start over," he replied solemnly.

"How?" Jamie asked confused, the tears starting to break free of her eyes and one rolled away down her cheek.

Peter wiped the tear away and took the ring from her finger. He grabbed a pile if snow in his large hand and stuck the ring in the middle of it, rubbing it around in his large hands until the snow melted and only the ring was left, free of all the blood and looking as perfect as it had when he had first laid eyes on it. He bent down on one knee and looked up into her eyes with the same look he always used, one that was filled with nothing but love and devotion. "Jamie I love you, I loved you the first moment I saw you. And nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you," he took her hand in his, "Jamie will you marry me?" Standing in the snow Jamie looked like the angel he always knew her to be. Her white fur coat looked like wings and the snow that fell gently on her hair gave her a crown of shining light; the view before him too his breath away.

Jamie's heart melted to see the one man she loved with all her heart there in the snow asking for her hand. Peter was the only person who knew all her flaws and yet loved her enough to marry her still. He was the only person who saw those flaws as little ways that made her different from other people and therefore a more perfect being. She started to cry again, but not tears of sadness or fear from the night, tears of joy and complete happiness. "Yes," she said with small voice, "But I don't really like you that much," she added sarcastically.

Peter laughed out loud as he placed the ring back on her finger where it belonged though it felt like the first time. He stood up and brushed his hand gently across her cheek and kissed her softly and tenderly. They knew that if there was anything in the world that was real it was at least their love for each other. The one constant in Jamie's life would always be Peter just as she would always be the one tender and loving side of him. They held each other in the snow and Peter put his forehead to Jamie's, "Merry Christmas Jamie," he whispered.

"Merry Christmas Peter," she replied.

They walked back to the hotel with their arms around each other, kissing every so often. Once they were outside the door to their room Peter took Jamie's hands in his own. "Don't say anything about the engagement," he whispered, "Let's act cool and then surprise them. They don't have a clue, but I know my mother will be just as excited as you were." Jamie nodded barely able to control her joy.

In the room Peter's family sat on the couch drinking hot chocolate and watching a Christmas movie in Russian. When she heard the door open Peter's mother turned around and almost spit out her drink. She jumped up and ran to her son and his fiancée and put her arms around Peter then hugged Jamie close. "You're home safe!" she said with evident relief, "We saw on the news what happened, I've been worried out of my mind!"

Peter laughed at his mother's reaction, "Well you didn't seem too worried sitting there watching 'A Christmas Story'," he replied.

Mrs. Rasputin made a face, "It was to calm your father's nerves," she replied, "But none of it matters now that you're here, safe and sound."

She noticed the blood that still clung to Jamie's hair and skin and a look of horror crossed her face but Jamie just smiled encouragingly and shook her head. "I'm just fine," she said warmly.

Illyana had finished her hot chocolate and jumped into her brother's arms in the mean time. "So how was the ball?" she asked excitedly, "Did anything special happen?"

Peter cocked his head and his mother shook hers. They hadn't let Illyana watch the news show that told about the attack at the ball. Peter nodded back and decided not to say anything about it; after all it was nothing compared to their real news. He looked at Jamie who was clearly having a hard time keeping their secret to herself with Mrs. Rasputin's arm around her waist. He smiled and looked to the floor then up to his father, who was standing quietly behind his daughter. "Jamie and I are getting married," he said simply.

His father smiled and nodded his head proudly. However Peter's mother had a much different reaction. She covered her mouth after a loud gasp and threw her arms around Jamie. "Welcome to our family!" she cried with tears of happiness, "Illyana you have a new sister!"

Illyana hugged her brother then proceeded to attack Jamie as she and her mother asked Jamie about every detail of the proposal. Oohs and Ahhs escaped their mouths when she showed them the gorgeous ring on her finger. Peter's father walked over to his son and shook his hand strongly. "She's a wonderful girl," he told his son in Russian, "I couldn't have asked for a better daughter-in-law. I know you will be happy with her. You are a strong man and she will be a strong wife."

"Thank you Father," Peter replied giving his dad a hug, "I know I'm the happiest man in the world right now and I will be for the rest of my days." As the night wore on they talked more and more about the engagement and traded Christmas gifts with each other. All in all it was the greatest Christmas Jamie had ever had.

The nightmare that woken Kess up two days before Christmas came back to her every time she fell asleep, even during the short cat naps she took with John on the idle days before the celebration. During her waking hours she was able to forget about it and enjoy the time with her family and boyfriend but at night John was never far away and she always woke up by his side. He could sense everything about her and as soon as her brain waves began to move in a disturbed pattern he was there. She couldn't have asked him to do anything else for her. They had called the Professor who had professed to sensing the dream as well, proving its strength. He couldn't sense the mutation of Kess' father anywhere which worried him. But he had told them not to think about it while on holiday and it would all be figured out once they returned. Kess accepted that answer but was still antsy and a little distracted, John could tell she was worried.

On Christmas Eve Day they both woke up late to a cool morning and had breakfast outside with the Velasco's. They spent all day in separate rooms wrapping gifts until lunch time came around and they went for a picnic in the park at Carolina's request. Once they returned home they finished their gift wrapping and Kess went to the kitchen to help Marian start cooking the ham for their Christmas dinner. John sat with Carolina next to him, the young girl had taken to him almost instantly, and he was reading her the story of Rudolph and the elves. Ferdinand was finishing Christmas lights outside and at around seven thirty they all came inside to sit down for dinner. They didn't get up from the table until it was almost ten thirty and Carolina was yawning and dozing where she slept. Her father picked her up for bed but she asked for a bedtime story from Kess who agreed. "I'll be back in a little bit," she said and emptied her plate in the garbage before washing it and following the sleepy child to her room.

Marian got up and began to clear the table and John helped her. He had gotten used to the people he was spending the holiday with and he knew why Kess loved them so much. They were very family oriented and tried to keep as much joy in their lives as possible even though Ferdinand had an extremely demanding job with the government of Spain, he was spending time in Egypt as a representative of his home country. As John stood washing dishes at the sink Mr. Velasco joined him. He looked to his wife who smiled and walked away leaving John with the impression that they had some sort of communication he wasn't aware of even though it involved him.

Ferdinand took up a towel to dry what John washed and spoke, "You're a good man John," he said casually, "I can see why Kess loves you so much."

John smiled though he knew in his bones there was more on Ferdinand's mind than just compliments, "Thank you," he replied, "I love her very much as well."

Ferdinand nodded, "I know, I can see it in your eyes. I'm not a mutant with extraordinary abilities to see minds but it's plain to know what's in your heart. That's what I wanted to talk about, she's like a daughter to me you know."

John put down the dishes and turned to Ferdinand, "Yes sir, and I have no ill intentions towards her, she's my whole world," he said reassuringly. The last thing he wanted was to be on bad grounds with the man who had raised Kess from her hardest times.

The older man nodded, "Oh I know, there's no ill will between us at all. I don't want to come off as an over protective father. I know her life is her own, you're both twenty years old now, you're not children and capable of making your own choices. I have all faith in you. My only point is that if, someday in the future, you decide to take things to a more permanent level. I'd like to be involved. She is almost a daughter and I feel like her father sometimes, or the closest thing she has to one. And I worry about her." Ferdinand wore a smile but a soft and understanding one though there was still the commanding fatherly air about him.

John smiled and nodded, "Yes sir, I will definitely come to you before I do anything."

"And do you have any plans of the sort?"

John smiled deeper and flushed a shade of red. When he looked up his brown eyes were alight with excitement. "Yes I do, but I haven't made good on them yet. But when the time comes I will seek your advice and blessing. I want the best for both Kess and I; I would never want to lead her into anything that was unwise."

Ferdinand smiled and patted a hand on John's back, "Yes a good man, a very good man," he said, "Well Marian and I will be waiting for the day when we speak on this matter again. I suppose you will be getting tired by now though, I know I am. So I wish you a Merry Christmas and I will see you in the morning."

While Ferdinand had his hand clapped on John's back Kess came back into the kitchen with Marian behind her, "What are you two talking about?" she asked and went to John's side.

"Just thanking this young man for his good manners," Ferdinand replied, "Now we go to bed," he said and kissed Kess on the forehead before taking Marian's hand and heading off to their room, leaving the couple in the kitchen alone.

Kess looked to John, "I have a feeling it was more than that," she said suspiciously, "Are you hiding anything from me?"

John kissed her cheek and led her down the hall to their room, "Of course not my dear, why would I do that?"

Kess relaxed some, "Well because you're a conniving snake," she said matter-of-factly and wrapped and arm around his waist.

John grinned, "Me? You're the snake," he said and pinched her side.

Kess' hair took on a thicker texture and her eyes blazed yellow a bit, "That I am," she replied, "So if you are hiding anything you had better be prepared to deal with me when I find out."

"Yes dear," he said and kissed her softly before going off to change for bed. Once he came back Kess was in her room in her nightgown looking in the mirror at her teeth. He came up behind her and wrapped and his arms around her waist and rested his head on hers. "Inspecting the pearly whites?" he asked nuzzling her neck.

Kess turned around with an excited look in her eyes, "Look," she said, "Venom." John took a closer look at her teeth and noticed that the teeth which became fangs when she took on her Medusa form were now extended. She pushed on one fang a little and a milky white fluid dripped from the tip. "I'm changing," she said and her eyes sparkled.

John smiled wide, "This is going to make Danger Room sessions a lot more entertaining, especially if you're paired with Matt." John winked and wrapped Kess up in a hug and she squealed.

"Oh what a wonderful Christmas gift," she said, "Thank you Lord."

John walked her over to the bed that they shared now that every night it was impossible sleep. Kess curled up in John's arms and was soon breathing softly in a deep sleep with no signs of a nightmare at all. John was able to fall asleep as well after making sure that she was sleeping soundly.

They awoke the next morning to a thud and the happy calls of Carolina as she jumped into their bed and urged them to wake up. "It's Christmas!" she shouted and pulled Kess' hand out of bed and into the living room where Ferdinand and Marian were sitting on the couch drinking coffee. The gifts they had all set out for each other were under the tree and within minutes Carolina had torn into the huge stuffed snake Kess had bought for her while they were out shopping the week before. It was a beautiful Christmas morning and it was noon before any of them made a move to get out of their bed clothes. Kess showered and played with Carolina while John started packing some of their things. Since Kess was so picky about packing he decided to get a head start.

Kess came back in to see him that afternoon and helped him get all their things in order and leave out clothes for the next morning when they would be flying home. "Have you had fun?" she asked while she pulled her fingers through his shaggy brown hair.

"Absolutely," he said and planted a kiss on her nose, "This has been a wonderful Christmas, I'm looking forward to a life time of them." He smiled and thought about ensuring that he would have a lifetime of Christmases with Kess.

"Have you called your family?" she asked. She was a little worried about taking him so far away from his family on such a special holiday. "Did they miss you?"

"Yes to both questions," he replied, "And they missed you too, especially Holly."

"Alright, well I say we visit them once we get back home, I have things for your mom and sister that I don't want to mail. Plus I miss them too, I love your family. We still have a lot of time off before we have any assignments."

"I'd love to visit them, I can't wait. It's getting late now though, we should get ready for bed, our plane leaves at 6." They both changed into their night clothes again and wished the Velasco family goodnight. Carolina wouldn't be up to see them off and Ferdinand would be in the office even before they left so they said their last farewells and received hugs all around. The next morning Marian drove the couple back to the airport and watched their plane until it was out of sight. Kess slept most of the way home and was fully rested for the happy reception they had back at the mansion.

Ororo met them at the New York Airport and Kess hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much, Merry Christmas," she exclaimed. John shook Storm's hand and wished her a good year as well before they all rode back to the Institute and settled back in.

After they each unpacked in their separate rooms the Professor called for them to go to his office. John knocked on the door followed by Kess and opened it to see Xavier. "Welcome home," he said happily, "It's never the same Christmas without everyone here."

"Thank you Professor, we missed you too, Ferdinand thanks you for taking such good care of us," Kess said and grinned.

"Of course, of course," Xavier said, "I have a question to ask you both, it's not too serious but I don't want to put you into a situation you aren't ready for."

John looked from the professor to Kess and then back, "Well it sounds sort of serious sir, what's it you want to ask?"

Charles smiled, "We are receiving a large number of new students in June and we really don't have enough rooms left to accommodate them all. We need to cut down and have more people to a room. There's smaller ones upstairs away from the dormitories though that we may use. Since you've both finished your schooling here would you be open to sharing one of those smaller rooms? You've seen Jean and Scott's, it's much like that." He laced his fingers together with the serious look that was on his face too often.

John smiled relieved, "Oh I thought you were going to ask us something much more dangerous. I have no problem at all about that, if you're willing to Kess I think we're capable of sharing a room."

Kess nodded in agreement, "Absolutely, when should we move our things?" She put her hand in John's and smiled up at him, leaning her head on his arm affectionately.

"Anytime you feel ready too would be fine," Charles replied, "But we're doing some renovations up there until about mid-January so I'd wait until after then."

The pair nodded and thanked him before leaving. Kess squeezed John's hand, "This should be fun, I've never had a roommate before," she said, "Especially not one as cute as you," she winked.

John smiled, "Well I know I'm looking forward to sharing a room with someone as beautiful as you are. But maybe you should refrain from waking me up at your usual sunrise." Kess pinched his arms and smiled evilly as they walked down the hall together. "I wonder how Jamie and Peter's vacation went," he said after a moment.

"Me too, we haven't talked to them almost the whole time, I miss Jamie. But they arrive tomorrow, I guess we'll find out then," Kess replied and smiled wide.

The next day Peter and Jamie spent the whole day with each other and his family. It was the last days of their vacation and too soon they would be returning back to New York, and leaving the beautiful landscape and amiable people behind. Jamie had almost seven full cameras of pictures to take back home and Peter's mother had requested a copy of every single picture. As the evening of their last day came they packed their bags and started to say good bye. Peter's mother hugged Jamie who had started crying. She had never been around people as loving as Peter's family. She loved being with them in their inviting atmosphere and pleasant company. She had no family at all, at least not one she knew of. Peter started the jet and Jamie waved urgently until the Rasputin's were not distinguishable from the other dark spots on the snow in the failing sunlight. Peter put the plane on autopilot once they got going and he and Jamie sat in the back playing cards and eating oatmeal and hot chocolate. They discussed the trip and daydreamed about the future. Already Jamie had images of dresses and wedding colors in her mind. "I can't wait to start our life together," she told Peter who nodded, "It's going to be the greatest adventure of all. She snuggled up to him to take a nap until the alarm on the plane went off telling them they were close and Peter needed to take the controls again.

Peter landed the plane and Jamie gathered up their bags and trash and the hatch opened. Applause met them of the cheers of their happy friends swirled around them. Everyone who had returned from their own vacations was there to greet them. They had many congratulations on the Russian attack and their success. The story had been kept surprisingly quiet but of course The Professor always knew what was going on. Peter and Jamie smiled all the way to where the adults stood. People began to dwindle away and go back to their activities and the couple was left alone with the adults, Kess and John. Kess threw her arms around Jamie, "Oh my god, I missed you so much! I can't wait to hear about your trip!" Then she let Jamie breathe and turned to give Peter a hug.

"She's been like this all day," John said and he shook and hand with Jamie then Peter, "She really missed you."

"Hey kid," Logan said stepping forward from behind Charles. Despite his stoic demeanor Jamie threw her arms around Logan and he smiled and hugged her back. "I see you made it out ok."

"Definitely," Jamie said, "But we missed you all SO much!"

After pleasantries were shared Peter cleared his throat to get their attention, "Well I know that some people know what I am about to say and some don't, but…" he looked at Jamie and smiled.

"We're engaged!" Jamie exclaimed unable to hold it in.

Kess gasped loudly and jumped on Jamie. Jean and Ororo came over as well and Jamie showed off her ring and looked happily to Peter as she told them about the proposal. John and Scott pat Peter's back and congratulated him. It was mid afternoon before any of them calmed down enough to let Jamie and Peter unpack. "Before you go to bed come to my study," Charles called to everyone who agreed without another thought.

After dinner where Peter announced the engagement yet again they went to his study. "What's up Professor?" Peter asked once everyone got in.

"Well I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas," Xavier began.

"Oh come on Professor, that's nowtwhat you asked us down here for," John said.

Charles nodded, "You're right John, and I'm hoping you know that from instinct not from mutant abilities," he winked to his fellow telepath. "I want to give you all a very short briefing on a new mission. It's in Canada and you will all be attending. That's really all I have to say, some of you are more familiar with the spot than others, but be prepared for more calls like this in mean time. Good night all."

They filed out of the room and Jamie took Kess' hand excitedly, "This will be my first mission," she said.

Kess nodded with gleaming eyes, "I know, but don't worry you'll do great. It's going to be fun I bet, I love going on missions. We get to kick some ass."

John took Kess' hand, "Now, now, don't spark any ideas," he said, "It's probably just going to be observation."

"We'll see," Peter said putting a hand on Jamie's shoulders, "But we'll be through the whole thing together." The four of them walked down the hall to their rooms where they would swap stories the rest of the week.


	9. The Mission

A New Home

**A New Home**

**Chapter 9: The Mission**

Two weeks after Jamie and Peter had returned from Russia things began to get back to normal. Sometimes Jamie still woke up expecting to smell the strong coffee Mrs. Rasputin brewed or hear Peter's father outside working on the car but for the most part she was getting used to the same old routine.

The night they had returned the Professor had briefed them on a mission to the Weapon X Facility in Canada. Wolverine, Peter, Nightcrawler, John, Kess, Storm, Cyclops and Jamie had all been selected this time. The mission wasn't too complicated, through telepathic means Xavier had found activity in the facility which was supposed to be abandoned. Because the Professor had no more information but that there was human activity he decided to keep the mission, originally scheduled for the weekend after they returned, postponed in case of a false alarm. So in the mean time, the team had to keep on their toes and be ready for a call at any time.

Being her first mission Jamie was ready to go. She was excited but nervous at the same time because she was the only member of the team with no previous experience. The issue in Russia had probably been what convinced the Professor to let her go but still, one impromptu fight and a regular schedule of training was hardly anything compared to the missions the others had under their belts. Jamie wanted to be perfect, to make sure the Professor knew he hadn't made a mistake. So she decided to up her workouts to rigorous training with Logan in the Danger Room, weight training with Peter, and sparring with Kess every other day. Other students who didn't know Jamie thought she was killing herself with too much training but those that knew her, and those that had been on missions before knew exactly how she felt. However all the drive and dedication to perfection she forced on herself impressed even Scott.

It was a Saturday morning when Jamie finished her personal exercises out in a grove of trees. She was walking back to the mansion, her now sculpted body glistening in the morning sunlight with sweat. She stretched her arms out and used a small towel to wipe some of the sweat off her neck and stomach. She wore a black sports bra with the X-logo in the middle and black volley-ball shorts with the X-logo on the side. A black headband held back her shaggy locks and a small amount of hair was still in the ponytail at the back of her head. She let her long legs take lazy steps back across the grass as her mind wandered other places. Lately she had been thinking about her family, or whether she had one at all. All the time spent with Peter and his relations had brought up a ton of questions. Where did she come from and did she have any parents and were they looking for her? How could someone have a future if they didn't have a past? She had been having flashes of memories and dreams of things she remembered vaguely, but nothing she could hold on to or that would tell her anything. Even John had tapped into her dreams but he hadn't been able to come up with much more.

It was almost all light when Jamie returned to her room and Kess only got a tired good morning before she jumped in the shower they shared. Jamie sat on her bed in one of Peter's shirts with a towel on her wet hair and took five deep breaths and closed her eyes like Kess had taught her to before she meditated. She focused her mind on the dream she had experienced just that night. She could feel herself as a young girl, not more than six years old. She felt like there had been three others present with her and at least one of them felt female, _mother and father?_ she wondered. She knew she was in a dark place, maybe outside at night, so she couldn't see anyone but she could hear their voices and she felt comforted if only that there were other humans near her. She couldn't tell if she felt any specific preference to them or if they had harmed her. Jamie opened her eyes and sighed in frustration. She couldn't get anything from these dreams but they felt different than her usual dreams.

"If they feel different or there's something repetitive about them, like a color or an object, then they're psychic dreams. It doesn't mean you're a telepath like the Professor but they definitely have some connection to your past or even your future," Kess had said one day after they had been sparring and Jamie hadn't been able to keep her mind on the fight because she was so distracted with her dreams.

"I just wish I could see them better, it's like watching a blurry television show that you've seen a long time ago but can't remember," Jamie had explained, "It's so infuriating."

"Believe me, I know how you feel," Kess sympathized. Jamie had realized she still didn't know much about the past of her best friend but Kess had urged her to keep sparring before she got the chance to ask.

"Well I guess I'll just have to wait and see if things reveal themselves," Jamie sighed. When she got dressed she wore short jean shorts and a green tank top. It was 5 o'clock in the morning when she walked out through her door and silent everywhere except for the familiar sounds of John and Kess stretching in the weight training room. She smiled when she remembered how unhappy John had been when Kess had announced their joint training program.

"You want me to get up at 5 to work out with you?" he had asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No I want you to get up earlier than that and be ready to train at 5," Kess replied sassily.

Jamie and Peter had laughed when John had tackled her, "You're just lucky I love you so much," he said when he had her pinned down.

Jamie sighed when she remembered that. It made her think of Peter and just how much she loved him. She felt a tingle through her whole body and she looked down at her ring. She loved how it sparkled in the light, just like Peter. A clock on the wall showed 6:00 and Jamie knew he would be getting up for his workout so she decided to pay a little visit. When they had gotten back from Russia Peter and John had moved into a two-bed bedroom just a little down the hall from the rooms Kess and Jamie had together. Now Jamie opened the door a crack and saw Peter just as he put on a white tank top. She burst through the door and jumped on his back. "Boo!"

"Hey you," he said when she got off. He pulled her into a tight hug and gave her a kiss. "You been up long?" he asked.

"Not too long, I just wanted some silent time to work out in the grove," Jamie answered and sat down on his bed.

"I see, we're still on for some weights after breakfast right?" he asked.

"Of course," Jamie replied, "Now you go do whatever you have to do. I'm going to make us some breakfast."

"Alright," Peter smiled, "I'll see you soon," he kissed her on the nose and then hurried down the stairs.

The rest of the day went fairly smoothly. Scott, Kurt, and Ororo spent most of their time looking over the topography of the area they would be investigating while the others took up more physical activities.

"Ready for a little more?" Logan asked from the control room in the Danger Room.

Jamie looked at Peter, both of them panting, and received a nod. "We're ready," she called up.

"Ok," Logan smiled down and hit the button to start the room.

Jamie let her claws slide out and Peter went from human to Colossus. In a second two giant, clawed metal arms had come at them. Jamie ducked and jumped on one while Peter used sheer force to pummel the other. Another second later and Jamie had shredded the claw to smithereens. "Nice job," Peter winked.

"Don't say that just yet," Jamie replied with a smile, "Look." This time there were four clawed arms coming at them.

A half an hour later the two were panting again with a couple more claws laying strewn out in front of them. "Alright, you're done for now," Logan said as he came down out of the Control Room.

"Sounds good to me," Jamie said.

"How about lunch?" Peter asked and cracked his neck.

"How about definitely," Jamie winked and held on to his arm as the three walked down to the kitchen.

Kess and John sat opposite each other outside by a small pool of water in a garden. They were crossed legged and holding hands. Kess sighed eventually and opened her eyes. "That felt good," she remarked to John.

He opened his eyes as well and smiled, "Yes it did," he stood up and offered her a hand, "I feel inspired. Want to go back up stairs and get some writing done?"

"I surely do," Kess replied and gathered up the blanket they had been meditating on. The two sat on John's bed lying with their feet on the pillows and each had a notebook in their hands. "New song?"

John shook his head and began to write, "I was thinking about that idea I told you about the other day."

"Oh, the one based on Hegel's master-slave complex?"

"That's the one."

"Oh what were you thinking? I can't wait to see!" Kess gushed excitedly.

John smiled, "Oh I don't know, it's not that good."

"Lies!" Kess assured him, "I've been thinking about it since you told me. I really love when you write. You're so inventive."

John laughed, "If you say so."

"I do," Kess replied and kissed his shoulder before they each spent the next hour writing nonstop. He worked on his idea and Kess penned a new song and the beginning of another.

"Lunch?" John asked and set down his pen.

"Yes please," Kess said, "Maybe we'll find Jamie and Peter and we can eat with them."

"Maybe," John said and opened the door for her.

The five met down in the kitchen where Jamie was already making sandwiches for herself, Peter and Logan. "Hey you two," she said when Kess and John walked in.

"Hey," Kess replied and gave Jamie a hand while John sat and began to talk to Logan and Peter about when the mission would come.

John leaned back in his chair and put an arm around Kess when the girls set down a plate of turkey sandwiches and glasses of milk. "All this talk of a mission is getting us too antsy," John said, "We need to get out for some good times."

"I agree," Kess added, "We've been stuck in this place for weeks since we got back, we need some fun."

"What do you propose?" Jamie asked.

"I have a good idea," Peter chimed in. He hugged Jamie close, "You haven't really seen the finer points of New York have you babe? Maybe we should take a day out in the city. Shopping, food, a little entertainment?"

Jamie brightened, "That's perfect! I'd love that. We've been so busy I haven't taken a lot of time to relax. I think it would do us all some good."

"Definitely," Kess said, "I haven't been to the city in a while. And to think I used to live smack in the middle. It'll be fun to hang out again."

Logan, who had been silent until now, decided to step in. "That's all well and good but you guys have some serious training to keep on."

"Oh don't be such a party-pooper Logan," Jamie scolded, "How about we agree that in three days, all of us that are going on the mission take a break and see the city?"

"I'm all for that," Kess said.

"Me too," John agreed.

"Anything you say sweetheart," Peter replied.

"It's done then," Jamie smiled at Logan, "It'll be good for you too."

"If you say so," he smiled back.

The next few days went smoothly just like those before them. Storm, Scott, and Kurt spent most of their time getting familiar with the facility while Jamie and Peter trained more with Logan. John and Kess meditated during the day and sparred with each other later in the evening after Kess worked out in the danger room and John trained his mental abilities with the Professor. They spent a lot of time in the Professor's office, and whenever Kess asked about John didn't say much. She had a feeling it had to do with the dream she'd had and it was worrying her a little again. Not something she needed just before a mission. Needless to say they were all focused on something and definitely ready for a break.

In the morning Kess and Jamie took turns showering and then Kess did Jamie's hair back with a few shiny clips to match the dangling earrings she wore. Jamie had dressed in a salmon colored halter with a draping neck as well as the salmon heals Kess was trying to get her to wear more often. Her jeans had holes in them, some that were patched and some that weren't, so altogether she struck a stylish but still tough pose. "Would you zip this up in the back?" Kess asked.

"Sure," Jamie replied and pulled up the zipper that held on her lacy red corset top.

"Thanks, do I look alright?"

Kess turned and Jamie surveyed her red heels and skinny jeans. "You look awesome," she told her.

"Check this out," Kess said and pulled some of the hair next to her ear away to reveal a silver cuff that curved up along her ear to the earring at the top of her ear and attached at the bottom to her diamond earrings, "John got it for me."

"Sweet," Jamie replied entranced, "Well let's get going then." Kess grabbed a thin black sweater to throw over her bare shoulders and they left.

Kess and John got into the backseat of the Supra while Storm and Scott took up the front. Kurt and Logan sat in the back of the RX-8 and Peter smiled as Jamie took the driver's seat. "I don't think so Jamie," Scott cut in as she took the handle of the car door, "Not after the stunt you pulled last time."

Jamie looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Does anyone have a problem with me driving?" she asked her three passengers.

"Nope," they chimed in; Logan had a particularly wide smile on his face.

Jamie turned to Scott with a sassy smile, "You're gonna have to trust me sooner or later," she said as she got in and started the car. Jamie smiled to Peter and the two cars took off towards down town New York City, however inside Jamie was a bit upset. If Scott still didn't trust her then one of the most important components needed for a mission was missing. How was she going to be able to get him to trust her if he kept keeping even the smallest things against her? If teammates couldn't rely on each other then there wasn't much they could rely on at all.

The two cars sped along next to each other with the occupants waving as they passed each other sporadically. Kess let her hair out of its braid for a bit and three feet of long black strands floated out behind her to the amusement of John and Storm who also decided to take off the ethnic sash that held her hair in place. Jamie turned the radio up and sang along as she did one of the things that gave her the most pleasure. Twenty minutes later they found a parking garage and loaded out of the cars. "Hey wait," Jamie said as the others started walking towards the elevator, "What about Nightcrawler? The whole blue skin thing and all?"

"Oh, the Professor fixed my cloaking device," Kurt replied. He pressed a button on his watch and in less than a minute he looked completely human. He had light skin with dark brown hair that hung just to his shoulders. He smiled with fangless teeth and blue eyes, "See?"

"Awesome," Jamie said surprised.

The group walked along the streets of New York John had his arm around Kess while she and Ororo decided to try out some buying theory to make up for the stress of the mission. Neither were light shoppers and John knew he would be carrying his share of bags. Scott and Kurt followed behind them conversing about how the Knicks would do while Jamie, Peter and Logan walked at the back of the group. Jamie had been to the city a few times but she had never really experienced it. Peter had no problem pointing out landmarks and places; he'd lived in New York so long it was like home to him. While Kess knew the city like the back of her hand she was busy with Ororo and John.

After they came out of a small jewel shop Kess turned around to check on Jamie. Logan had fallen a little behind her and Peter as the couple had their arms wrapped around each other. "Look at that," she commented to John who slipped an arm around her waist, "They're so happy together. They practically glow."

"Mm, you glow too," John murmured as he kissed her head.

"Only when I'm with you love," she replied and kissed his cheek.

"When are you two going to do that?" Ororo asked as she put a necklace she had bought into another bag.

"Do what?" Kess asked.

She just looked pointedly at Peter and Jamie until John got the idea. "Oh that," he smiled, "Well you'll just have to wait and see," he winked.

Kess blushed and Storm raised her eyebrows. "Will do," Ororo said.

Jamie and Peter walked faster up to John and Kess so the four walked together as Ororo waited back to talk to Logan. "Are you having fun?" Kess asked Jamie.

"Tons," Jamie replied, "It's great to be seeing this city up close for once."

"I know, I haven't been here in so long. Actually," Kess pointed down a street, "If you were to follow that street for three blocks you'd come to the little rock venue I worked at for a little while."

"We should go there sometime," Jamie said, "I bet it would be fun."

"I think you'd like it," Kess replied.

The day continued on with more shopping and a pleasant walk through Central Park. In the evening the group decided to go for dinner at a nice restaurant with live entertainment. A blues band played while they ate and Ororo noticed the night club across the street with people lined up down the street. "That looks like fun," she said to Logan who snorted in return.

"We should go dancing," Kess agreed, "Who knows when we are going to have this much fun again?"

"Sounds good to me," John replied, "My dad knows the manager so we can get in free and avoid the line."

"I'm in," Peter smiled.

"Count me in too," Jamie smiled and pulled the black beanie hat off Peter's head. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled against his chest. His shirt was a white baseball shirt with black sleeves and a black collar. It said Ruskie-17 on the back from one of the baseball games at the Institute.

"You know I can't pass up a party," Storm admitted.

"And I would love to see how many girls I can pick up looking like this," Kurt wondered out loud.

With all of them agreed Kess turned to Scott. "So can we go?" she asked knowing Scott would probably com up with some reason to ruin their plans.

"Hey, if you can get Logan to go then it's fine by me," he replied sure that they would be going home soon.

Knowing how much Logan hated crowds John cut in before he answered, "There's a bar and I might be able to get you a few drinks on the house."

Logan smiled, partly from spite at Scott, "Well let's go then," he announced.

The girls clapped their hands and gathered their things as the guys paid for the dinner then they walked across the street. The group was diverse with Scott in a polo with a popped collar, a preppy uptight look he shared with Kurt. Storm was colorful and urban with a dash of ethnic flare while Kess looked ready to kick some sexy ass just like John in his torn jeans, vintage Ramones tee and black jacket. Jamie and Peter looked classic but still casual with Peter's baseball shirt and Jamie's halter. As always Logan walked at the back with his jeans and leather jacket. He definitely looked out of place walking to a club with strobe lights and loud music but that would soon change once he was seated at the bar.

A large bouncer stood behind the rope that kept the guests waiting on the sidewalk. John walked with Kess on his arm at the front of the group both of them looking like rock stars. "Hey Frank, busy night huh?" he asked as he high-fived the burly man.

"Sure is Johnny boy. Go on in," he replied and unsnapped the rope that let them in.

"Thanks man," John replied coolly and slipped Frank a hundred dollar bill.

Inside the girls gave their coats and bags to a coat-check and the group entered the club. The lights were flashing and the music was thumping and everyone was moving. Scott tried to tell everyone they would be leaving at midnight but the group dispersed too fast to hear knowing that that's when the party really gets started. Logan went straight to the bar and ordered a beer once John waved to the bartender. Scott sighed and found a table in a corner where he could call to Jean telepathically. Jamie smiled when she thought about how devoted he was to Jean and she figured he would probably be having a good time if she had been able to come along.

"Well let's not waste time standing around," Kess said as she took John's hand and led him onto the dance floor.

"You all behave," Storm said and she went out after the pair to find a dance partner. Kurt was gone in a flash as a tall blonde walked past them.

"May I have this dance?" Peter asked with a hand out to Jamie.

"Of course," she replied and they took the floor as well.

The music was a mixture of electronic and rock and the beat was drumming through the room like a heartbeat. Jamie danced with Peter and laughed as he tried not to bump into the people around them. When she looked across the room she saw Kess and John dancing together as if they were the only ones in the room. At the bar she saw Logan watching her and smiled with a little wave which he returned with a nod. Peter twirled her around and around and at one point she wished she could be wearing her sneakers instead of the heels. An hour went by and Kurt had decided to sit with Scott for a bit, a little rest from chasing girls. Storm and Kess went to freshen up in the ladies room while John ordered the three of them drinks. Peter and Jamie went to the bar and sat down on either side of Logan. Jamie wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. "So how many bottles did you kill?" she asked.

Logan smirked, "Not enough," he replied.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked Peter.

"Whiskey and vodka," he replied as he paid for the shots. Because of his size no one questioned whether he was 21 or not, though it didn't matter because one shot of vodka wouldn't affect him; he had been drinking it his whole life.

"Here you go comrade," the bartended said and set down the shots.

Peter drank his and passed the whiskey to Logan. Jamie reached out as fast as lightning and drank it down without hesitation or affect before Logan could take it. "That's good stuff," she said as she put the glass upside down on the bar.

"A girl after my own heart," Logan laughed and Peter smiled.

Just then Storm came up to the bar and took Logan's hands, her hips swaying with the music. "Come on Logan, dance with me and don't say you can't because I know for a fact you can. I've seen you do it."

Logan rolled his eyes and followed her out onto the dance floor where John and Kess had recommenced their dance, focused solely on each other. Peter took Logan's empty seat at the bar and watched as Logan did turn out to be quite a good dancer. "Look at the body language between Logan and Ororo," Jamie said with a laugh, "I never would have thought it."

"I've been living with mutants for years and there are still things I never thought I'd see," Peter replied, "But look at the language between those two," he pointed to John and Kess, "I guess that's what you get when you're dating a snake."

"Snake Charmer," Jamie corrected, "Now let's get back out there. I want to dance."

"And I want to dance with you," Peter said and let her pull him onto the floor where they danced for another hour.

A while later Jamie and Peter had decided to join Scott and Kurt who had found a nice little lounge of vacant couches in a corner. Jamie pulled off her heels and was plenty happy to give her feet a rest and cuddle with Peter while listening to stories from Kurt. Not much later Storm and Logan sat down as well and Logan ordered another beer while Ororo asked for a glass of wine. At about 1 Kess and John decided to sit down as well and the group got comfortable on the sofas.

Jamie lay against Peter's chest and he ran his fingers up and down her arms like he knew she loved. John ran his fingers through Kess' hair while she laughed with her head on his shoulder. Logan had ordered yet another beer and listened while Storm and Scott recounted some of the more hilarious points of a past mission to Turkey.

"It always helps to have a sense of humor, even on important missions," Storm said and sipped her wine.

"It sure makes the jet ride there and back more fun," Peter smiled. Their conversation had relieved some of the stress Jamie had been feeling about the mission. She realized no one was perfect but it didn't damage her drive to be so. At least knowing that others had messed up and it hadn't been the end of the world made her feel better. It was also interesting to see Scott admit to some of his faults and even he had to admit that the night had been fun.

It was almost 2:30 when the Professor's voice rang in their heads. "X-men, return to the mansion for mission briefing. We leave at 0600."

Jamie had been calming down but the urgent sound of the Professor's voice brought her back to her nerves. Kess saw her face turn serious and gave her an encouraging smile as they gathered their things and hurried back to the cars. "Don't stress ok?" she held Jamie's arm for a moment, "You're going to be just fine, you'll see. It's not so bad once you're doing it. It's just the psyching yourself out before hand that you have to watch out for. And believe me, I know _exactly_ how you're feeling."

Jamie forced herself to ease up, "Thanks," she said, "I feel a lot better just knowing you'll be there."

"Peter too," Kess reminded her, "And I know he won't let anything happen to you. At least he better not, I might kill him if he does."

Jamie was able to drudge up a smile for that and they hurried home 3 hours before they were scheduled to leave for Canada. Though they hadn't slept since the morning before, their adrenaline was so pumped up none of them felt tired in the least. Kess parted with Jamie in the bathroom and pulled out her uniform. "Haven't seen you in a little bit," she murmured to herself. She undressed and slide her sculpted legs into the black pants that were tight but gave her all the movement she needed. Her top connected to her pants in the back but buttoned with one button in the front giving her a long v-neck and exposing most of her midriff. She twisted around the long black sleeves and pulled on her gloves before tying on the headband that kept her long locks out of her face while still letting her hair be free for when she changed her appearance. She attached her com-link to her ear and waited for Jamie to finish dressing.

Jamie's uniform was hanging on her closet door when she entered her room. Kess had designed it for her and she smiled as she pulled it off the hanger. "This is hot," she said to herself as she took in the view. Jamie stripped off her jeans and pulled on the red pants and buckled the black X buckle. Her top consisted of two thick red triangles that attached to front of her pants and the red sleeves but left most of her chest and stomach open. A criss-crossing strap in the back attached to the sleeves and to the corner of the front just below her chest. Jamie turned around to admire the fit for a moment and had to smile. "Peter is going to like me in this," she snickered to herself.

"And hate anyone else who sees you in it," Kess finished as she entered Jamie's room.

Jamie had never seen Kess in her uniform and her eyes went wide, "The same could be said of John for you."

Kess winked, "You ready?"

"And waiting," Jamie replied.

"Good, because I am _so_ ready to kick some ass." The two hurried to the elevators that would take them to the sublevels of the mansion where most of the X-men work went on. Just as they were waiting there John and Peter came up behind them.

John couldn't help but eye Kess up and down with a smirk, "Babe, you do look so good in that outfit. You should wear it more often."

"Anything for you, dearest," Kess replied with all the innocence she could muster.

Peter tried to hide a smile but failed when he saw Jamie. He wanted to be serious in these circumstances but anytime he looked at her he felt stronger and weaker at the same time. Something he wasn't sure he liked at first because weakness in battle was never good, but he had come to deal with it. _She does look astounding in that uniform_, he thought, _if only you could wear it to something where your life might not be in danger._

Jamie saw the worry on Peter's face but before she said anything John cut in to take their minds off the stress. "So Jamie, you ready for your first mission?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied as they stepped into the elevator. Kess began to whisper something to John and Jamie took the opportunity to talk to Peter. "Don't worry about me Big Guy. I'll be fine. We have to stay…focused, 'kay?" she gave him an encouraging smile.

"Yeah," he replied half-heartedly and looked down at her. Her smiling face was beautiful no matter what the situation and he forced himself to trust her. _She's a talented one_, he reminded himself, _she can heal and fight as well as Wolverine and you never have to worry about him._

The doors of the elevator opened to reveal the sub-basement used only by the X-men. Jamie had been to this part of the mansion before, but never for a full briefing and mission. The doors to the briefing room opened for them and the Professor sat behind a desk waiting with the other team members. "Alright, let's get started. The Weapon X Facility has been said by a reliable source to be back in use. The leader of this attempt is unknown, but we know that they are experimenting on mutants," Xavier paused sensing the team's concerns. Mutant experimentation was a touchy subject for all the X-men. They had seen their share of abuse to an otherwise entirely normal person just to see the effect of some agent on the X-gene. John's memory was taken back to a mission in a previous year where he came very close to being a test subject for a disturbed ex-surgeon. It was times like that when he felt absolutely sure he made the right decision to work with the X-men. There was no one else out there doing what they did for the mutants just trying to fit into society.

Jamie stood between Peter and Logan. Logan looked down at her, knowing what she went through to get her claws and adamantium skeleton even if she did not. Jamie felt his eyes on her and looked up at him slightly perplexed. She absentmindedly rubber the dogs tags around her neck, she was about to ask why he was staring but the Professor began speaking again. "Cyclops, if you will give assignments."

"Yes sir," Scott took the floor, "Alright, Storm, you will be in charge of creating a blizzard in order to make us invisible to the security. Nightcrawler, once we are inside you and Sandman will find the control center and guide us through the facility. Colossus, you and I will find the leader of this operation and take care of that situation. Medusa, Wolverine and…Jamie…you need a name," he paused.

The other members of the group looked at Jamie. "How about Hot Stuff," Peter smiled. Though it was out of character for the situation Peter's comment got a shaky laugh out of the team.

"Hellhound" Medusa offered with a smirk.

Jamie stuck out her tongue as she tried to untangle her fingers from her dog tags. A glint of silver caught her eye. "How about Hellsbane?" she announced.

Peter raised and eye brow and Kess smiled, "I like the sound of that."

"It's what these tags say so I guess it would work," Jamie explained.

"Alright," Cyclops continued, "Medusa, Wolverine and Hellsbane," he looked at Jamie and continued, "You three will be in charge of locating and releasing the mutants inside the facility. Kurt and John will help guide you. Everyone will be on com-link in case anyone needs back up or if something goes wrong. The jet is ready, so let's go to Canada," he finished.

The Professor smiled, "Good luck X-men, I'll see you when you get back."

The group left the Briefing Room and headed to the hanger where the X-Jet was ready for flight. Cyclops led the way and Jamie lingered in the back with Peter and Wolverine. "Alright, for those of you who don't remember proper jet etiquette," he looked pointedly at Wolverine, "you need to stay seated the whole time because this is not a normal plane ride."

"Can we at least turn on the radio this time?" Kess asked and rolled her eyes as she walked into the plane.

"Yeah, the conversation can be so drab sometimes," John snickered. Scott sighed and followed John into the plane where he took his seat at the controls in front of Medusa.

Storm sat next to Cyclops and looked back at everyone to make sure they had their seatbelts on. "Aren't you going to tell us where the emergency exits are and bring us some peanuts?" Wolverine asked innocently from his seat at the back next to Jamie.

"Very funny," Storm replied, "Is everyone ready?"

"It should take us about 30 minutes to get to the facility," Cyclops said aloud, "So try to entertain yourselves quietly." He started the jet's engines and the team took off.

Kess tightened the headband that was around her head and then her fingers reached out to meet John's. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly, "No showing off ok?" he said quietly and looked at her, "I don't want you to get hurt this time. I know about what happened on the last mission."

Kess met his gaze, "How?"

"The Professor told me. I'm not mad, I just worry about you. You're not exactly the kind of girl who's going to sit home and knit, I know, but please don't get too crazy."

Kess leaned over and kissed him lightly, "I won't. I promise. All smarts from now on ok?"

"I trust you," he smiled.

Kess grinned, "But you have to promise the same thing. I heard about that mission in Tokyo where you basically free fell from 20 stories. You're lucky Archangel was around that day. Or how about when you tried to take on that mutant that could throw those spikes from his body? You gave me a heart attack that day."

"Hey, I didn't say I was perfect. I just asked you to be more careful," John replied in defense.

In the back of the plane Peter turned around in his seat to see Jamie who was staring out the window rubbing the engagement ring that hung around her neck with her dog tags. A moment later she realized she was being watched and smiled, "I put it on this because I didn't want to loose it or anything," she laughed a little, "That would be just my luck."

Peter took her chin in his hand, "You're going to do great babe. I promise. Because Wolverine is going to keep an eye on you," he looked over at Logan who peered at them out of the corner of his eye. "Right Wolverine?"

"I always do," Logan replied. He gave Jamie a long look over. "He's right kid, you'll do fine. You've got enough talent and strength, as long as you don't forget about you're brain you've got nothin' to worry about."

"Thanks Wolverine," Jamie said quietly. Logan looked at her face and smiled.

After about 25 minutes Storm put the stealth mode on and Scott landed the jet quietly. He stood up as everyone else unbuckled and addressed them. "Alright, we are a mile outside the facility to avoid radar. From here we will walk. Storm will provide a downwind so Wolverine can smell if there are guards outside of the facility. Once we are inside Sandman and Nightcrawler will take the control room. Storm, Colossus and I will search out whoever is running the operation. Wolverine, Medusa and Hellsbane will release the captured mutants inside. Are we good?" The group nodded and Jamie felt herself begin to relax. She felt more natural now that they were ready to go and she knew what to do. Having a purpose in a mission makes a big difference. "Is everyone's com-link on?" More nodding. "Alright, if anyone gets in trouble and the com-link doesn't work then just let Sandman and Nightcrawler know. They'll help you." The team filed out of the jet and a blast of cold hit them in the face. "Storm, can we get that downwind?" Scott shouted.

Storm turned towards the facility and her eyes began to cloud white and the wind picked up, swirling snow and leaves around the group. Kess huddled close to John and shivered while Logan started smelling for guards. "There's 14," he announced.

"15 actually," Jamie chimed in by his shoulder, "There's something weird though…"

"Yeah, I hear it too," Logan said softly to her.

"What do you hear?" Scott asked.

"Maybe if you shut up I can listen and figure it out," Logan snapped.

Jamie turned around to face the group, "It's hard to explain, but you know that buzzing noise that you hear when you turn on a light? We hear that, but it's more sublime. Maybe they are using robots, to add more man power."

Scott raised and eyebrow, "You can hear that?"

Jamie and Logan looked at each other then back at Scott, "Yeah," they said in unison.

"Alright, they have robots team. Medusa, Sandman, Nightcrawler and I are going to take care of the guards," Scott said, "Storm, Wolverine, Hellsbane and Colossus, you clear the Sentinels. This is a surprise attack so be stealthy." The group formed a horizontal line with about a yard between each as they moved silently through the snow towards the facility. Storm flew above them to keep the down-wind blizzard going steady. Scott called up to Storm, "When we engage the enemy you're going to have to be creative Ororo, they have shock proof armor so lightning bolts isn't going cut it."

"Why do they get to have all the fun?" Medusa asked, "I still have some Sentinel payback to dish out."

"You'll get your chance eventually sweetheart," Sandman laughed, "And I'm sure they haven't forgotten what you did to them the last time."

"It's only because we lack your finesse, and plus we won't have a problem if we get shot or something," Hellsbane added, "Besides, we're better at tearing shit apart and making a mess."

Medusa smiled, "That's true, I'm not the cleanest person, but the bathroom we share always looks like you battled a Sentinel in there."

Cyclops looked at Medusa, "You'll get a chance at one sometime, I promise. For now, Nightcrawler bamf us behind the guards to surprise them and when the Sentinels turn to us you three come in," he said to Hellsbane, Colossus and Wolverine.

The team in charge of the guards held onto Nightcrawler, "I feel loved," he said before bamfing them away.

The Sentinel team waited in suspense. "This should be fun," Hellsbane announced almost dancing with excitement and nerves.

"Always," Wolverine said as he slashed out his claws. The three heard a loud commotion and knew it was their turn to make a surprise appearance. Cyclops had the attention of the Sentinels while Sandman and Medusa were in hand to hand combat with six guards while Nightcrawler handled another two and Storm had several others running in circles in a small cyclone. Hellsbane went running in headfirst while Wolverine grabbed Colossus' arm. "Throw me bud," he said with a smirk, "You know how to do it."

Colossus' flexed his metallic muscles, lifted Wolverine with one hand and launched him in the direction of the Sentinel that was approaching Sandman and Medusa. He landed claws first on the robot's head and ripped through the metal like it was butter. The head became completely detached from the body and both pieces fell to the ground and lost control.

Sandman pushed Medusa to the side so they both avoided the falling head of the Sentinel but three of the guards they were fighting weren't so lucky. "Thanks, babe," Medusa said.

"Anything for my feisty lady," Sandman replied and slapped her behind before knocking the lights out of a short guard, running up to replace his smushed counterparts.

Across the yard Hellsbane had managed to climb another Sentinel and take its head off. Colossus was on the ground busy keeping the falling robot pieces from hitting any team members. As the Sentinel she was on fell she jumped and landed next to Colossus. "How's it going stud?" she asked, breathing hard.

"Pretty good," he replied as he caught the falling body just above his head and tossed it neatly to the side.

Hellsbane was in awe, she knew Colossus' strength was incomparable but she has never seen anything like this. "I love you," she said and shook her head.

"I know," Colossus replied and batted away another piece of falling debris from a Sentinel Wolverine had dismantled. "Only two more to go," he said, "Give me a hand?"

"Of course," Hellsbane agreed and Colossus did with her as he had done with Wolverine and flung her strong body at a Sentinel. "Oh shit," Hellsbane muttered. As she was rocketing toward the robot it turned and caught her just before she reached its neck. The Sentinel squeezed Hellsbane in its hand and she let out an aggravated scream. "I could use a little help here!" She wriggled in its grip and tried not to let the pressure do any damage when suddenly she saw a red beam flash past her. Cyclops had been the only one to hear her that wasn't already engaged in combat. When the laser hit the robot it lost control and slammed Hellsbane to the ground before it began to fall. As she lay there regaining consciousness after her fall, she worked her body to catch the robot with her legs. The Sentinel stopped a few inches from her body and her leg muscles shook as she kicked it away.

Her red uniform contrasted harshly with the white snow while Hellsbane exhaled deeply, a cloud of vapor appearing above her mouth when her hot breath met the frigid air. "Need a hand?" Cyclops put one out to help her up.

"Thanks," she replied, "For all of that." Hellsbane found a smile as she stretched her back. She was surprised a bit that he had done what he had done despite all the things she had done to make him mad in the past. _I guess that's what being a team means_, she thought.

"Alright, gather round everyone," Cyclops called, "Now we move into the facility."

Colossus came up behind Hellsbane as she cracked her neck. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.

"I know," she gave him a cool grin.

As everyone started toward the abandoned buildings Medusa and Sandman caught up to Hellsbane and Colossus. "You ok?" Medusa asked with a fang ridden smile. Her skin melted back to its warm, natural brown and her reptilian hair separated into long black strands.

"Yeah, he wanted to play basketball but I didn't bounce back up," Hellsbane answered.

The group collected themselves silently as they walked, cooling down in the cold air. That was the biggest part of their job, being able to regain composure. As much as they would all bond in battle, they still had to deal with themselves in the down time. And sometimes that was the hardest part. The group entered the facility and congregated for orders after Colossus had a very literal run in with the door. "There's three corridors here team. Sandman – Nightcrawler, the Control Room is down that way. Set up camp there and see what you can find out for us. Keep us posted on the com-link and keep your eyes open. I think we've taken care of all the guards but you don't know what else is hanging around the corners," Cyclops said.

Sandman squeezed Medusa's hand and gave her a wink. "I'll see you soon," he said before following Nightcrawler down the hall.

"You had better," she replied softly. Hellsbane looked at Medusa and realized all the worry she felt when Peter went on a mission, Medusa felt every time Sandman separated from her even on the same mission. There was never a guarantee the other would come back.

"Nightcrawler's got his back," Hellsbane whispered to her friend.

"I know he does," Medusa said seriously, "And I don't worry about him from this point on. We're at work now babe. My mind is on my team." Hellsbane nodded.

"Medusa, Hellsbane and Wolverine, the holding cells are down the right here. Get those prisoners free and to safety as quick as you can, then join Sandman and Nightcrawler in the Control Room," Scott continued.

The three nodded and started down their hall, Wolverine in front keeping his ears alert for any movement ahead of them. Hellsbane took one last glance behind her and saw Colossus watch her leave before they disappeared around a corner. She prayed silently that wouldn't be her last look at him then focused on her mission and put him in the back of her mind.

As the group turned another corner they narrowly avoided a blast from a guard who shot off at them. Wolverine ducked to the right while Hellsbane and Medusa ducked to the left. "Shit," Hellsbane cursed under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Medusa asked alarmed. She looked at Hellsbane's left arm and saw painful wound with blood already starting to stream down her arm. "Can't you heal it?" she was concerned that it hadn't already healed itself.

"I can't, I tried," Hellsbane replied, "I don't know why."

"Hang on," Medusa tapped her com-link as she used her headband to stop some of the bleeding, "Sandman, I need a location."

"Go ahead," replied the voice that Hellsbane recognized even through the added edge of seriousness and focus.

"Hellsbane is hurt and she can't heal. I need to know where the nearest infirmary is."

"I gotcha," Sandman answered after a short pause, "Up the hall, left then right down the second corridor."

"Roger that," Medusa finished. "Alright, let's move."

In a different part of the facility Colossus overheard the com-link conversation and became immediately concerned. "Kess, is she ok?" he asked in a commanding tone as he threw aside a guard that rushed at him. For Hellsbane not to heal, he knew something must be wrong.

Before Medusa could answer Hellsbane's voice sang into his ear, "I'm fine, don't worry. Stay focused."

Medusa nodded to her friend, slightly annoyed at Colossus' tone, "And remember the codenames, Colossus. There's a reason for them." There was a reason for them. While some knew them by both their real names and their codenames, the codenames were what kept their regular identities secret from their enemies and made living a normal life that much easier.

Hellsbane bit her lip, she hadn't felt pain for a period of time this extended since she could remember, but she didn't want to let on. Colossus needed to stay focused and she would kill herself if she knew he got hurt because he worried too much about her.

Medusa took Jamie's right arm; "You take care of them?" she looked to Wolverine.

"With pleasure," he replied and lowered himself into an attack position before letting loose on the guards that turned the corner.

With Wolverine distracting the guards Medusa led Hellsbane through the halls Sandman had directed. In the infirmary Medusa found some bandage and alcohol and wrapped up Hellsbane's arm after cleaning it. "No infections on my watch," she smiled, "Now try to stay in one piece."

"Yes mom," Hellsbane snickered, "Thanks."

"Anytime, now let's get out there. I haven't seen nearly enough action tonight." The girls ran back down the hall to where they had left Wolverine and found him just in time. Reinforcement robots were just sneaking up on him and they leapt into action. Medusa changed forms as she moved and the snakes from her head bite at the guards behind her while she pulled out a small set of curved knives from her thigh-pockets and wreaked havoc on the robots. Her movements were like that of a dancer as she dipped and spun carving up the machines like turkeys on Thanksgiving. Hellsbane fought as she always had, with a fluid grace backed by pure strength and intensity. Her eyes blazed with a rage that would destroy anything in her way. Her claws moved so fast they could barely be seen as she tore the robots to pieces and even dispatched a guard or two when they stumbled into her way after being blinded by the snake's venom. The scrap lasted only a few minutes but the damage was devastating for the enemy. The female killers stood among a pile of metal that had been their adversary only a moment before. "Who's next?" Medusa asked as Hellsbane breathed hard, a grin of satisfaction emerging on her face.

"That's my girl," Sandman said over the com-link having watched the whole fight on the security cameras, "It looks like you all are clear from here on."

Medusa wiped some blood from a cut on her cheek and nodded to her partners. "Let's keep moving," Wolverine said.

It hadn't taken Sandman and Nightcrawler long to get the security cameras up and locate the groups of guards still left in the building. "Cyclops, we have all visuals running. You have three coming towards you from the right and a fork down the hall. The left leads to what is marked as a storage room and the right leads to more hallways. Let us know if you need anything else," Sandman said over his com-link.

"We're good, keep your eyes open for movement," their leader replied.

"I feel like we are God," Nightcrawler stated after hooking up another camera.

Sandman laughed, "Well if this is what being God is like then I'll leave it to the big man."

Nightcrawler came over to his teammate's side, "I think it would be fantastic if God had a big room like this with cameras watching us. The Holy Employees Only Room."

Sandman snickered, "If He gets bored He can just change the channel to Law and Order."

Nightcrawler laughed out loud, "And I bet the Angels order hot wings while God is busy seeing if they get an acquittal or not."

Sandman snorted, "I didn't know they delivered hot wings to Heaven. It takes them an hour to get to the Institute, it must take forever to get to Heaven."

"Only dead delivery boys get that job," Nightcrawler explained.

"Oh of course, how foolish of me," Sandman replied. The two remained on task but didn't see any suspicious movement.

Wolverine moved quickly, leading Medusa and Hellsbane down corridors and around corner s. This was a place he knew well after spending plenty of years there for testing himself. It was a place he would never forget; ingrained into his memory as deeply as his own pain. The girls followed quickly behind him, staying alert for any more attackers and before they knew it they were in the hall where the hold cells were. Mutants young and old sat in the corners of their cells, shivering, unsure of how to react to the uniformed mutants. Medusa changed back to her normal form in order to soften the blow of their presence as she and Hellsbane began to open doors and let out prisoners. Medusa tapped her com-link while Hellsbane told the newly freed mutants where to go. "Sandman, we're freeing the prisoners now, keep the hallways clear for them."

"Roger that," Sandman replied, "It looks like you're done with any guards for tonight, the whole place is silent."

While the girls were taking care of the prisoners Wolverine walked slowly down the rest of the hall to a single door at the end. Unlike the other cells it wasn't just a door of iron bars. It was solid metal, at least 4 inches thick with a small rectangle at eye level. It was obviously used to hold the most dangerous of prisoners. Wolverine sniffed lightly at the air and glared. "Nice cage, Sabertooth," he growled.

A shadowy figure walked slowly into the faint light that lit up a small section of the cell. "At least I haven't become a pet to a bald man in a wheelchair," Sabertooth growled back. He walked up to the view hole bushy blonde eyebrows sticking through the rectangle. He glared at Wolverine then his eyes rested on Medusa as she walked toward to the cell slowly, hips shifting from side to side. "I wasn't expecting a family reunion," Sabertooth said in a softer but deeper tone that Wolverine had heard only once before.

"Neither was I, Father," Medusa replied.

Hellsbane's eyes widened when she heard what Medusa said as she freed the final prisoner. She realized she knew absolutely nothing about her friend's past and family and she could tell this wasn't the usual family reunion.

"I hope you've been eating well," Sabertooth murmured as his eyes inspecting the daughter he barely knew.

"I have been," Medusa replied. Hellsbane noticed there wasn't much anger, happiness or disappointment in either's voice, telling her that their relationship was strained but also not very intense.

"And that boy…" Sabertooth trailed off. The more he spoke the more Hellsbane felt she knew this imposing mutant that had a hand in the creation of her best friend.

"You know his name Father, and yes, we're still together," Medusa replied.

Wolverine worked on opening the door and after a moment got the hinges off and the door fell forward. Sabertooth stepped out and looked closer at Medusa. "Can't you call me anything other than Father?" he asked with a miniscule hint of sorrow.

"Like what? Daddy?" Medusa answered sarcastically, "How about Pop?" she offered quietly.

Sabertooth nodded, "You look well, and from what I can tell, fight even better. You make me proud."

Medusa smiled faintly, "Thanks," she replied.

Sabertooth looked around the hall and rested his gaze on Hellsbane. "Well I'll be damned, I didn't think I'd see you again James Logan," he said. Hellsbane looked at him with a question. "Don't remember your old man do ya?" Wolverine and Medusa's mouths dropped.

"Where's Jamie?" Peter asked Kess concerned as she and Logan boarded the jet with Kurt and John. Peter, Scott and Ororo had no luck apprehending the leader of the tests at the facility. They had returned to the jet and waited anxiously for the others. Kess sighed, "She's having some trouble and she told us to go ahead, that she would meet us back here in a little bit. She said she needed time alone to think."

Peter became worried and confused, "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"She's having some problems with her past," Wolverine answered.

"She thinks she doesn't have a family and that she doesn't belong with us," Kess said sadly. John wrapped an arm around his girl, he knew what had happened, he and Kurt had seen it all on the security cameras. The mystery behind Kess' dream was finally solved and they all had realized that Xavier had found these captured mutants while searching for Sabertooth though it wasn't clear why Kess had had her dream, neither she nor her father were telepathic.

"Hey, there she is," Kurt pointed out as Jamie walked out of the facility gates and towards the jet hunched over with her arms wrapped around her. Kess watched her walk up and moved to the back of the plane with John, she felt a little hurt because always thought of Jamie as a sister and now it was actually true but Jamie appeared not to feel the same.

John kissed her forehead, "Hey, don't worry, she's just having a hard time. You know how that is. It's not you, sweetie, just give her some time."

Kess sighed, "I know, I wish she could be a little more open though. I wish she would talk to me."

"She will, when the time is right. She just needs to think. There were plenty of times when you didn't want to talk to me and you know it."

Kess nodded and leaned into John, "You're right. I'll wait it out."

Peter started walking toward the hatch but Scott stopped him. "Let me talk to her first, it'll be ok." The rest of the team turned to Scott in awe. "Sometimes things make more sense when they come from someone you don't respect."

Jamie was leaning against a tree, a few tears falling from her completely blacked out eyes. "What are you doing out here?" she asked as Scott walked up, confused that he would be the one to come out to her.

"I just wanted to talk," he replied.

Jamie's expression turned angry, "What's there to talk about? I'm a clone, a freaking test tube baby. I was made in a laboratory with DNA from different mutants, not the least of which is Kess' father. As if being a mutant wasn't bad enough!" She started to cry, "All my life I wondered who my parents are and where my family is. And now I find out I don't have any! All that time I wasted only to learn that I'm here because a bunch of people wanted to shove their DNA together. Not even good people! Sabertooth and Mystique, they're our enemies. Criminals! They only wanted a killing machine." She wiped away some of the tears and calmed down. "The only good thing they did was give me some of Logan's DNA. Though you might not think so….I do…" she took a deep breath and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"Well believe it or not Jamie you have a family. So your parents aren't perfect, you're not the first person to realize that. Wolverine is basically your big brother. Kess is Sabertooth's daughter so you two are sisters by blood." Scott explained.

"Really?" Jamie asked happy to know that Kess was her sister.

"Yeah and you have Peter, who loves you more than air, who will eventually take a vow to spend the rest of his life with you. And the Professor is the grandfather of all of us," Scott concluded.

Jamie looked at him questioningly. "What does that make you?" she asked.

Scott grinned "Me, I'm like an annoying cousin." Jamie laughed. Scott looked at her with a grin. "So you ready to go home?" he asked.

Jamie looked him in his ruby quartz covered eyes and smiled. "Yeah. I am," she answered. As the pair walked back to the jet Jamie laughed and threw her arm around Scott's shoulders. "I knew you liked me." She announced.

Scott chuckled and put his arm around Jamie's shoulders. "Yeah but I still think you drive too fast. You're as reckless as Wolverine." He replied.

"Yeah but you like it." She added and laughed again.

John looked out the window and saw Jamie and Scott walking together. "I never thought I'd see the day," he said to the others.

Kess looked out with him and smiled, "That's what people said when we got together. Anything can happen though," she replied and laid her head on his shoulder.

When Jamie got back on the jet the others greeted her warmly and affectionately while Scott started the plane. Peter stood at the back of the group waiting for them to disperse from Jamie. He had changed back from his Colossus form and was wiping the cold sweat from his face. His muscles were gracefully outlined by his uniform and his face was lined with the effects of worry and the new onset of relief and concern. As the others took their seats he walked up to Jamie slowly and the look on his face nearly made Jamie melt it was so sweet. He stood close to her and she could smell his aftershave and her body tingled. She looked up into his eyes and he down to hers which were no longer black. "You okay?" he asked quietly and touched her cheek softly.

Jamie smiled and leaned her face further into Peter's hand. "Yeah I'm good," she replied, "I'll tell you about it when we get home."

"Alright," Peter replied as her leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Jamie and Peter took their seats as Scott and Ororo started for home. However, the Professor came on over the connection screen in the X-Jet to change their plans. "Well done X-Men," he said, "But your mission is not over yet. I've just received information that Magneto has resurrected Asteroid M and now it's fully operational. He is not doubt just as outraged about the mutant testing as some of us, but you know he will not take the same steps we have. I guess that he is going to search out who is responsible and take drastic action. We must neutralize him before he can do that. Your mission is to get to Asteroid M over its base in Genosha and take out Magneto. Spare nothing, because he is definitely unpredictable from this moment forward."

"Roger that Professor, we'll get right on it," Scott answered.

"Good luck X-Men," the Professor said before the screen went blank.

"Alright team," Scott called back to the rest of the jet, "You heard that, we're going to Genosha. Buckle up."

After the long day they had all been through Jamie settled into Peter's arms while Kess and John moved to the back of the jet to go over the topographical map of Genosha. "It's tropical, that's for sure," Kess said, "Look at all the jungle area."

John nodded, "You're right," he pointed to a north-eastern part on the map, "This is probably where they will be. If we land down here in this open area," he pointed to a southern area, "Then we will be out of sight and we won't have to go too far."

"If we take this path north-northeast," Kess thought out loud, "Then we will be covered without being hindered. What do you think?"

John smiled, "I think it and you are amazing." Kess smiled and blushed a little. "It's so true," John said and moved some of her hair out of her face, "I think about it every day. I love you like I've never loved anyone else. I wish there was more I could say but there aren't words for it." He bent down and kissed her softly then touched his forehead to hers.

Kess ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair and couldn't think of anything to say. "I love you," she whispered.

John smiled and walked her back to their seats, "Forever?" he asked.

"Forever," she replied as they settled down for the flight.

Several hours later the team landed in Genosha, just as Kess has said it was tropical and very rural. The heat and humidity was intense and everyone was thankful that their uniform not only kept them warm in the cold but also cooled them in the heat. After everyone filed out of the jet Scott called them all into a huddle. "Alright, guys, this one is going to be a whole team effort. Everyone needs a buddy," he smiled, "Your buddy is responsible for you and you for them. If you're wounded make your way back to the jet with your partner. I know this is important, but it's not worth losing one of you." Peter raised his hand after Scott finished speaking. "Yes Colossus?"

"If we're going to be staying together, can't Jamie heal an injury?" he asked more toward Jamie than Scott.

Scott looked to Jamie, "Are you up to that?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Jamie replied, ready and happy to help where she could. Even though this was her first mission she was already feeling like it was exactly what she was always meant to be doing.

"Alright then, if you're injured get yourself to Jamie so she can heal you, but let's make sure we try to avoid injury at all costs. Your healing ability is doing alright?"

Jamie nodded," Yup, sure is," she replied and pulled off the forgotten bandage. Her arm was completely healed, but her uniform was in need of some repair.

"Ok, Wolverine, Colossus and Hellsbane take point. Storm take the sky and Nightcrawler take the trees. The rest of us will keep a backup. That way we're covered on all levels. Now let's move out. Sandman, which way?"

"North-northeast," Sandman answered. The group made their formation and headed out through the jungle. They made good time and only met a few ground guards that Wolverine, Hellsbane or Colossus quickly dispatched. By late afternoon they reached the perimeter of Asteroid M. The Professor had been correct; the Asteroid was fully operational and was now landed on the ground in order to replenish supplies. Guards and footmen were busy carrying crates on and off and not many were paying attention to what was going on around them. After surveying the scene from the air Storm reported that all around the Asteroid was the same.

Scott nodded, "Nightcrawler, bamf us inside," he said.

"Sure thing, boss," Nightcrawler replied and got the team inside the Asteroid in a puff of sulfuric smoke, as far in as he could.

The halls of Asteroid M were filled with metallic doors that were completely unmarked, making it impossible for anyone to really know where they were going. They had to rely solely on the senses of Wolverine and Hellsbane. On a mission without those two Medusa served as one who could smell and sense things from afar but the skills of her two friends surpassed her in this situation. Much of the inside of the Asteroid was empty while its inhabitants were busy filling supply closets and kitchens and securing weaponry elsewhere. They found their way to a large open room with large windows that stretched as tall as the ceiling on one wall. As soon as they walked through the door it automatically shut and the floor began to rumble. "Well, it looks like we aren't going anywhere soon," Scott muttered as the Asteroid took off. They team stayed put because they couldn't get any of the doors open as the Asteroid rose thousands of feet into the air.

"Let's chop a new door," Hellsbane suggested.

Storm shook her head, "That would bring us too much unwanted attention," she said, "We don't want them to know we're here until they are where we want them. We don't have home field advantage here and we are definitely outnumbered. With all our talents, those guns still mean business," she smiled, "Well maybe not for all of us."

Wolverine snickered, "They do get to be annoying, though," he added.

"There's nothing to do but wait," Scott said seriously.

Everyone stayed on their toes and kept their ears to the walls when without warning Colossus and Wolverine went flying through the air, slamming into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Jamie cut across the room in a flash to help Wolverine and Colossus while the rest of the group took and aggressive stance, prepared to do battle. Their plan was useless because a blue force field cut off Jamie from the rest of the group.

"So you have returned to me," said a deep voice from behind Jamie. Magneto emerged from a door that no one had seen because it blended into the wall so well. He had thrown Wolverine and Colossus across the room in order to trap the others. Guards entered behind Magneto and began to put metal braces on the hands of everyone. There was a metal band placed around Sandman's head to stop him from using his telepathic powers and Nightcrawler was entrapped in a force field that neutralized his teleportation.

"Bastards," Sandman muttered. One of the guards kicked the back of his knees sending him to the floor.

"Don't you touch him," Medusa growled as she let her hair turn to snakes and snap at the guard.

"I'm alright," Sandman said, "Don't antagonize them." Medusa's snakes fell and when they reached her back they were black hair again.

At the sound of his voice Jamie turned around slowly to face the mutant that was infamous to the X-Men. There before her stood an older man dressed in a maroon and red suit with a cape. He was a strange and almost funny helmet that blocked his thoughts from the Professor. If she didn't already know he was the enemy Jamie would have been in awe of Magneto. He had a commanding presence that was regal and yet with an air of twisted danger simmering just beneath the surface. "You have grown up haven't you my dear?" he said looking Jamie up and down from head to toe. She stared back, her face a giant question. She knew she had never met him before but there was something so familiar about him; though that could have been because he was the subject of so many conversations. "You don't remember me do you?" he asked with a dual sense of humor and sorrow in his voice.

"Should I?" Jamie asked in a calm but fierce voice as she tried to keep her confusion from showing.

"Considering that I raised you, I would have hoped so. But I see that is not so," he replied.

Peter's jaw dropped and showed the shock of the rest of the group. The thought of Magneto raising Jamie was even more absurd than her having the DNA of Sabertooth or Mystique in her. "So you're the bastard who made me like this?" Jamie asked, rage starting to build within her. Learning that her 'parents' were murderers and terrorists was hard enough to deal with, now she had to try and digest the fact that she was raised by the arch rival of the X-Men and all she had come to love.

"Oh my dear," Magneto said as he walked through the force field where he had trapped the mutants and let his hand rest on Medusa's head, "I was merely a part of the Master Plan," Medusa was visibly enraged at his presence and callous actions toward her, "You were brought into this world to be the ultimate mutant. An uncontrollably fierce force that no army or machine could stop. The Ultimate Weapon. Why do you think you have nightmares?" he said, almost laughing. "I can help you overcome that and realize your full potential," Magneto continued seriously, "Charles will never be able to give you that. You know I'm right," he concluded, attempting to entice Jamie to his side.

Jamie composed herself inwardly and stared at Magneto coldly, "Go to Hell old man," she answered with nothing but pure attitude.

Medusa couldn't help but smile and look at Sandman. He winked at her and tried to hide the smile on his own face. Wolverine voiced the thoughts of the rest of the X-Men when he whispered to Colossus, "Yeah, she's family."

"Pity," Magneto said with no emotion, "I was hoping to avoid this kind of persuasion." He took his hand of Medusa's head and with a slight movement of his fingers she was picked up and carried over to the window.

"Put me down you bastard!" Medusa shouted and kicked her feet in midair.

"Join us or she dies," Magneto said simply, ignoring Medusa's words, "She is your half sister, is she not?"

"Jamie, don't do it!" Medusa called to her friend, knowing just how it felt to be pressured to the wrong side of the tracks. She didn't want that for Jamie even if it cost her her life.

Jamie looked at Magneto then Kess, her heart pounding in her chest, trying to stay composed. "Very well," Magneto said with a sigh, with a flick of his hand Kess flew through the window and was suddenly out of sight, "She could have done so much," he muttered after Kess.

John ran toward the window until he was knocked down by a guard. "What have you done?" he shouted at Magneto as tears began to run down his face.

Jamie looked at Peter and Wolverine then smiled. She broke into a full speed sprint as guards fired guns, bullets flying past her, and did a swan dive out the shattered window.

"Jamie!" Peter shouted and ran towards the window. He knew she was virtually indestructible but he couldn't stop worrying about her and whether she would come back and if she did, if Kess would be with her. He knew she could heal herself but she'd had a problem with that before and she couldn't bring someone back from the dead.

John pulled at the metal band around his head and tried desperately to use his telepathic powers until he couldn't see and had to stop. Ororo and Scott were speechless as Nightcrawler began to say the Hail Mary quietly. Wolverine dropped his head, he had been growing fond of the idea of having a baby sister like Jamie and he didn't want to think about that ending any time soon. The best he could do was have faith that she would come back, she always pulled something new out of her bag in these kinds of situations. He needed her, they all needed her to do it again.

Jamie cut through the air like a missile trying to reach the unconscious Kess. The force of the blow through the window and the thinness of the atmosphere had knocked her out. Kess fell fast, her raven hair flying up around her, whipping around her face. Jamie could feel herself getting closer to Kess and made her body more aerodynamic and was finally able to reach out and grab her friend. Jamie hugged her closely as the two fell through the air. Kess slowly opened one eyes and saw Jamie. "Please don't tell me you jumped out after me and now we're on a one way trip to the ground," she said in a quiet voice that made Jamie smile.

"What can I say, I'm impulsive. Besides, I couldn't let you leave without me. And when the party was just starting," Jamie replied.

Kess laughed a little, "I couldn't have picked a better friend," she said. Jamie looked at Kess and Kess looked at Jamie and they both closed their eyes, preparing for impact on the ground. "Are we dead?" Kess asked, afraid to breathe or open her eyes. She felt like she was suspended in the air, not what she had imagined death to be like. When Jamie didn't answer she opened her eyes and looked at her friend. Jamie's eyes were wide staring at the ground that was inches below them. Their bodies hat stopped just centimeters from the cold, hard earth. Kess looked at the ground, then back to Jamie. "Are you doing that?" she asked.

Jamie didn't know how to answer, "I think so, I guess," she said, "Don't ask me how though. Can Mystique or Sabertooth fly?" she asked as she set Kess on the ground then continued to float herself in the air.

"No," Kess replied, "Neither of them can. The only ones I know of are Archangel, Storm and…Magneto…" she trailed off. Kess pushed the hair out of her face and began to think out loud, "He levitates by using the metal around and in him." She stared at Jamie for a few minutes contemplating the facts and looked at Jamie, putting the pieces together. "Jamie!" she exclaimed, "Magneto put his DNA into you too. Why else would he raise you? That's how you can fly. Your skeleton is covered with metal, it's so simple. You can move and control metal just like him. Damn! You're like a Superwoman!"

Jamie floated down to the ground and frowned, "I'm like a human version of leftovers night. All the mutant refuse decided to make one creature from all of them."

Kess shook her head, "No Jamie, don't think about it like that. You're amazing, you're the best friend I've ever had and a fantastic mutant. You kick ass left and right, in a good way. You're nothing like any of them. Maybe you have powers like they do, but you didn't really inherit anything from them. You have their talents but that's where it stops," she smiled, "And think about it this way, you never have to call Sabertooth your _actual_ father, like some of us do."

Jamie smiled, "If this makes you my sister then I don't have a problem with it."

"Good," Kess said, "Now let's learn how to handle this new power and then get back up there," she pointed to the sky and to Asteroid M. Jamie nodded and spent some time raising herself into the air and letting herself down. She worked slowly at first then sped it up as she got more confident. She could feel the metal inside her vibrate softly as it responded to her command. The she stood on the ground and practiced raising Kess in the air and setting her down again. "Do you feel confident?" Kess asked eager to return to the Asteroid and let John know she was ok. She couldn't image what he was feeling right now and she was starting to feel sick to her stomach, wondering if anything had happened to him.

Jamie looked at her friend with a devilish grin, she was loving her new power, "Let's go get the jet, we can get everyone out then. You ready to kick some ass?"

Kess winked, "Always Doll, always," she replied. She put her arms around Jamie's neck and looked at her, "Let's fly." Jamie smiled wide and in the blink of an eye flew them both quickly up and over toward the jet.

Once they got there Kess took the pilot's seat and Jamie took the co-pilot's seat. "Do you know how to fly this?" Jamie asked Kess.

Kess winked, "Oh yeah I do," she replied and in a few minutes they were airborne once again as Kess flew them towards the Asteroid. They easily found the window Kess had been thrown out of and fortunately there was a landing pad just a few feet from it. "Ok," Kess said as she took the jet down, "You go in and get them, I'll wait here with the jet and we'll take off asap."

Jamie nodded, "I cannot wait to get back in there."

Jamie flew the short distance to the window and disappeared inside. Kess bit her lip, she wanted to tell Jamie to let John know she was ok, but she knew this was not the time to worry about that, no matter how much she loved him, they had a job to do.

Magneto stood at the window looking out where Jamie had leapt after Kess. "Such a shame, she could have been the greatest mutant the world had ever known. I will never understand you X-Men and your morals. It must be something Charles puts in your food," he said.

Peter looked at him with absolute hatred. He knew Magneto would never understand how he felt because it was based on love, something he didn't know. "Colossus," Wolverine whispered, "Colossus, he's not concentrating on us anymore. Break out of your bonds."

When what Wolverine had said clicked in his mind Colossus nodded slightly and as Magneto stared out the window he ripped apart the metal bonds that had trapped him as Logan did the same. The two jumped up and began to free their friends before the guards had even realized what was happening.

As soon as his captives began escaping Magneto turned from the window and started them when simultaneously a metal crate flew at him. He just barely dodged it and it hit the wall in front him, splintering into pieces. "You're gonna be sorry you every created me, old man," an icy voice said from the window.

Magneto tensed when he saw Jamie floating just inside the window. "You have got to be kidding me," Wolverine said not able to believe what he was seeing.

Everyone in the room was in awe of Jamie except for John who was busy searching for Kess to show up behind Jamie but never saw her. Peter relaxed upon seeing Jamie as she glided through the window gracefully and landed on the floor of the asteroid. Jamie used her powers to break the chains that imprisoned Scott and John, the others were already free, while Magneto was focused on her. The two got up and started to join their friends as more guards rushed in the room.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Magneto said trying to keep his cool.

"Well here's another one for you. I know you put your DNA in me along with the others. So that means that I am you and you can't use your powers on me," Jamie remarked as she took a threatening step forward. "That means you can't touch me," she said taking another step forward, "And I am going to so love tearing you apart." Jamie's eyes blacked over as she charged Magneto. Close to her goal she was stopped by a huge yellow blue. Two large, clawed hands grabbed her by the shoulders and picked her high up off the ground. Jamie hung in the air staring into the eyes of Sabertooth. They had the eerie yellow glow that Kess' got when she was mad. Sabertooth grinned and looked at Jamie like she was a snack.

"Sorry you won't get a chance to have fun my dear. But I really must be going. Maybe we will meet again with a better ending," Magneto said with an air of accomplishment in his voice, "Don't let them follow me," he said to Sabertooth before exiting through the door he had come through.

Jamie sighed frustrated and turned back to Sabertooth. "You are really going to regret getting in my way, Pop," she growled. She thrust her feet into his stomach with so much force he dropped her and stepped back, gripping his stomach. Jamie hit the ground then jumped in the air, flipping herself backward in a perfect somersault, moving herself away to get a better attack point.

"Aww, come on now, you can't hurt your daddy can you," Sabertooth mocked her.

Jamie's eyes narrowed in their blackened state, "Watch me, bub," she said.

From across the room Wolverine heard her and smiled, "Yeah, we're definitely blood," he said to himself.

While Jamie and Sabertooth faced off the rest of the team began to dispatch the guards as they tried to attack them. Kess sat in the jet trying to make contact with the X-Men base and not worry about John. Her com-link had come off her when she was thrown through the window and she had no way of communicating with others.

Jamie and Sabertooth were squared off, moving in a circle, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Jamie groaned and rolled her eyes, she was not in the mood for apprehensive fighting and was sick of waiting for the coward to do something. Jamie shouted and charged him full speed placing an earth shattering punch right in his face that sent him backwards into a wall. Without hesitation Jamie charged again but Sabertooth was quick to react and met her with a left hook that sent her backwards but she got in control of herself and landed as gracefully as she could with one hand on the ground in a feline position, blood running from the corner of her brow. She wiped the blood away and looked at her hand, mouth twisting into a smile. "I am going to make you so sorry for that, pussycat," she snickered as her blood began to boil. The battle continued; punched flying back and forth like a war between gods.

The rest of the team had dispatched all the guards and while there was a lull in their battle the watched Sabertooth and Jamie fight. Colossus had moved to help her but Wolverine held him back. "She wants this for herself. Let her take it," he said. Colossus didn't want to but he stepped down, though still ready in case he was needed. With each move the battle got more and more intense, Nightcrawler grimaced at the punches and kicks exchanged between the two. At first glance the fight seemed unfair, Jamie was much smaller than Sabertooth, but anyone that knew her knew that Sabertooth was the one lacking.

It was evident that Jamie wanted to completely obliterate Sabertooth. She fought with intensity that none of them had seen before. She wanted revenge for all the wrong things he had done to the X-Men, to Kess and because of complete hate of her father. As the battle proceeded they moved closer and closer to the broken window. Sabertooth stepped close and sent a punch toward Jamie backed with strength from years of fighting but Jamie ducked and dodged it. As he fell forward from the force of his own punch she delivered a straight kick to his back and sent him out the window at least twenty feet. With a final feral scream Sabertooth disappeared through the clouds. Jamie watched him fall until she couldn't see him anymore and released an accomplished sigh.

Wolverine smiled, he had never seen Jamie fight with such sheer power. She hadn't used her claws or her new magnetic powers. She fought with her hands and her feet in a pure expression of aggression. It was an unadulterated fight from the first days of human anger expressed in physical combat.

Peter stepped forward as Jamie caught her breath, "You ok babe?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said as she turned to look at her team, "He's not," she said as she looked back out the window.

Wolverine let out a loud laugh and Scott smiled but let that fade as he turned and saw the strained look on John's face. He hadn't spoken a word and was staring out the window making a brave move to hold back tears. Jamie followed Scott's gaze and nodded at him. "Let's go team," Cyclops said.

"There's a landing pad just near here," Jamie said as they began to move, "Kess is fine, she's in the jet," she said softer to John.

John closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "Thanks," he said upon opening them and followed the rest of his team towards the landing pad.

The jet sat in silent authority as they approached it and when they were only feet away the stairs were lowered and Kess burst from the holding area and ran to John to meet him as he ran to her. Kess wrapped her arms around his neck as John held her close and a tear ran down his face, into her hair. "I thought I would never see you again," he breathed.

"I'm here now, and I'll never leave you baby," she said, "I love you so much."

Scott cleared his throat, quietly telling the two lovers that it was time to go and they walked to the jet hand in hand.

Storm smiled at Kess and hugged her, "I'll have to teach you how to fly some time," she said.

Kess smiled, "Well hopefully that's a skill I'll never need to know again," she said as she took her seat next to John, who never took his eyes or his arms from her. He had almost lost her once and that was not going to happen again.

Scott took his seat at the front of the jet and had a quick talk with the Professor, alerting him that they were not going to be able to make any progress at the asteroid and that they were leaving. "I understand your situation," Charles said, "But find some way to disable it before you leave. That is your purpose there."

"Roger that," Cyclops said and ended the communication, "Ok team," he said as he walked to the front of the aisle, "Any ideas on how to disable this thing?"

"I can do it," Storm said, "But we need to take off first." Scott nodded and got the jet into the air. The rest of the team looked at Ororo, they knew she was powerful, but her full potential hadn't been tested yet, no one knew what she was capable of. Scott let the jet hover close to the asteroid but far enough away to avoid damage. Storm stood at the back of the plane facing the asteroid to the front. Her eyes clouded over white as they always did when she concentrated her power. Black clouds began to gather and soon the entire sky was as dark as their jet. Suddenly an enormous bolt of lightning crashed through the air and struck the asteroid. The electric current that pulsed through the ducts of the asteroid sent it straight to the ground to be sure it wouldn't be useable for quite some time. Storm smiled as the white in her eyes passed, "Now let's get home," she said, "I'm hungry."

Scott let base know they were heading back and the team settled in for the flight ahead of them. John sat staring ahead as most of the crew snoozed including Kess, her head on his lap as he stroked her hair. He hadn't left her side since she had come back to his arms and he didn't plan on doing so. The things that went through his mind when she flew through the window came back to him. He thought back to every fight they had ever had, even over the smallest thing, and prayed they would have many more together. Together. That's what he thought about the most. He knew then that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted all the silly things and all the deep things to be theirs forever. It wasn't long before they would be able to move into a room together but he began to seriously ponder the thought of making a more permanent commitment to the woman he loved more than life.

Kess moved a little sniffed and John moved some of her long black hair to the side so he could see her face. He ran a finger across the tan skin of her cheek and traced her dark brow, imagining how happy he was every time he looked into the dark brown eye beneath the lid. He looked down at the soft curves of her body and rested his hand on her shoulder, sure of what his future would hold.

Late in the evening the jet landed in the underground hanger at _Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters_ and Charles waited for them to get off before congratulating them. "Well done team, well done," he smiled, "Next time you'll get Magneto," he said sensing that Jamie was unhappy with the result of the mission as most of them were. "I hope you would all join me for dinner?"

"We'd love to," Storm said. They agreed to come together for dinner in an hour and everyone went their own way to shower and wash off the sweat and grime they had earned from their work. Jamie and Kess hurried to their room, each trying to get the shower first. John kissed Kess softly before leaving her at her room and going down the hall with Peter. "You go ahead," Kess said to Jamie, "I'll take a lot longer to wash my hair than you will."

Jamie laughed, "That's true, I'll be quick." They all showered and let their sweat and their worries leave their bodies and minds as they switched from a serious attack mode to a gentler state of mind that let them be themselves. After her shower Jamie sat in her chair and looked over the paper she had been making notes on about what to write in her vows for her wedding and smiled, knowing that even though the hours previous to this one had been intense there was nothing more intense than the love between her and Peter.

While her hair dried Kess sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes closed, and took herself through a mental replay of everything that had happened, putting each incident at peace before moving to the next one and letting herself return to a calm frame of mind.

Down the hall, the love interest for each girl did a similar winding down process as well as the rest of the team. Peter smiled as he looked at a picture taken of Jamie and himself. He concentrated on all the good things he had planned for his life with her and put himself at rest, forgetting the dangers of that day that he would undoubtedly face again.

John lay on his bed and breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of Kess' hair from his pillows and put himself at ease, knowing that they were both safe and that as close as he had come to losing her, she was just a few doors down in a building that not even the sneakiest mutant could infiltrate. He focused on the fact that they had both stayed calm and done their job that day. He put the negative thoughts he had behind him and smiled as he let his mind play with the idea of sleeping next to Kess every night.

Before the group met up for dinner Jamie knocked on Kess' door. Kess opened her eyes, "Come in," she said, "You don't have to knock," she laughed when she saw it was Jamie.

Jamie smiled, "Just making sure you were decent," she laughed.

"I'm always decent," Kess winked, "What's up?"

"Well," Jamie began, "I know this is a given but I wanted to at least ask you properly." Kess tilted her head and looked at Jamie questioningly. "Would you be my maid of honor?" Jamie asked.

"Of course, sis!" Kess said as she jumped up and hugged Jamie, "Is it ok if I call you sis?"

"You can call me whatever you want," Jamie grinned, "You're the greatest sister I could have ever wished for."

"I feel the same way," Kess said. The two ended their embrace and Jamie turned to see John and Peter waiting in the doorway.

"Hello ladies," Peter said as he put and arm around Jamie.

"We thought we'd escort you to dinner," John said, and he hugged Kess' waist to him.

"Well thank you gentleman," Kess said. The four walked down the hall to an informal dinner. Kess yawned a little in her pink and black oriental silk robe and leaned on John who was wearing a vintage tee with the heart pj bottoms Kess has gotten him. Jamie stretched a little in her jogging pants and one of Peter's long sleeved shirts. Peter wore a worn out black tank with is worn out jogging pants, contrasting Scott's X-men sweat-suit and Ororo's spaghetti tank and pink boxers. As usual, Logan wore a white shirt with his jeans. Jamie was beginning to wonder if he owned any other clothes. Kurt hurried in at the last second in a tank and X-men sweats. Everyone looked tired even after their refreshing showers.

The Professor sat at the head of the table with Scott, Jamie, Peter and Logan on the right, with an extra seat for Jean next to Scott, while Ororo, Kurt, Kess and John took the seats on the left. Dinner that night was spaghetti and meatballs, one of Jean's specialties, the team was eager for a hot meal but their bodies moved slowly as the aches and pains began to set in.

"First, I want to congratulate you all on a mission well done," Charles began, "You did what you needed to do and you used your powers wisely, but most importantly," he let his gaze linger on John, "You didn't lose your focus when things went wrong."

"We do our best," Scott said, "And I think that this was an especially good mission for Jamie, it being her first."

"It was exciting to say the least," Jamie said with a satisfactory smile. She may not have defeated Magneto herself but she was learning that that wasn't the important thing. What was important was that she had strengthened the bond between her and her friends and the one inside of her. She had learned and used her abilities in the right way.

"We'll have to being a new training program for you and that new ability you have," Logan said, "That should be fun."

"For you it might be," Ororo smiled, "We'll see how Jamie likes it."

"I can't wait," Jamie said.

"I'm interested in how you infiltrated the facility," Xavier said, "There was a formidable number of guards there not including the Sentinels."

"We had good help," Kess said, "Those better suited for the guards took the guards and those better suited for the Sentinels dropped the Sentinels on the guards," she winked at Jamie.

"I hear your healing powers failed you at one point Jamie," Charles said, "How do you feel about that?"

Jamie considered for a moment, "I think it's just part of life. I've always viewed my powers as a weapon, there's nothing else to really use these for," she said and let her claws slide out then back in with a smile, "And sometimes weapons misfire. I'm a created mutant and I have my flaws."

Charles nodded, "Very honest, we'll see if we can run a few tests though to make sure there are no underlying problems just in case, if you don't mind."

Jamie nodded and grinned, "Not at all."

Jean picked up the empty plates and brought out cheesecake and coffee as the group continued their night.

"So Jamie, is there anything else you wish to discuss?" the Professor asked, "This was your first mission. I want to make sure you feel comfortable with it."

Jamie sipped her coffee, "I think I'm ok. I did learn where I come from which was one hell of a shocker I'll say. It's not pretty, but at least I know," she smiled and looked at Kess, "But like my sister said, I just have to stay positive about it. It could be worse."

"So it was an O.K. first mission with the X-men?" Scott asked, "I know some have not had a good time on their first," he winked at Kess.

Jamie laughed, "Well I'd have to say the highlight was jumping out of a window from 40,000 feet in the air. Wouldn't you agree sis?" she turned to Kess who rolled her eyes.

"Don't ask me," Kess replied, "I was thrown." John put his arms around her protectively, remembering how he had felt when she disappeared through the window. He ran his fingers through her hair, lost in thought.

Ororo smiled looking at the couple, "I'm not sure that was the highlight for anyone else but you Jamie," she laughed, it was always important to be able to let go of a mission after it ended or else the stress would build up to an unbearable level.

Jamie smiled and let her head rest on Peter's shoulder as she yawned, the exhaustion of a mission was beginning to set in on her. Peter watched her eyes struggle to stay open and he picked her up. "I think we'll be going to bed now," he said, "No alarm clocks tomorrow either," he said with a look especially for Scott and Logan.

"Deal," Scott said yawning.

"I can't promise anything," Logan said in all seriousness, though his teammates knew he was kidding.

Peter brought Jamie up to her room and sat on the bed while she curled up next to him. "I love you so much," he said and kissed her forehead. He put his arms around her and felt her warm and close next to him before drifting off into sleep.

John and Kess walked up to his room and when they didn't see Peter they figure he was with Jamie. "That's good," John said, "I'm not willing to let you go tonight. You're staying right here in my arms whether you like it or not." He pulled down onto his bed and stroked her hair lightly and she nuzzled up to his neck.

"I think I can deal with that," she replied, unusually tired. Her adrenaline went on for hours after a mission and she almost always had a hard time falling asleep. "This is how every night should be," she whispered slowly falling asleep, "both of us here together."

John smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head on hers, "It will be soon enough."


End file.
